


Clipped Wings

by Sasspiria



Series: Every Planet, Every Star [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Angst and Porn, Bondage, Bottom Rhys (Borderlands), Breathplay, Canonical Character Death, Controlling Handsome Jack, Crying, Daddy Kink, Dark Rhys, Depression, Dismemberment, Dom/sub, Drugged Sex, Felching, Force-Feeding, Handsome Jack Is A Bad Guy That Thinks Hes A Good Guy, Happy Ending In A Fucked Up Way, Impact Play, Kidnapping, Kill Lilith, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, Marriage Proposal, Medical Experimentation, Medical Kink, Minor Character Death, Murder Kink, Overstimulation, Panic Attacks, Possessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Power Exchange, Public Sex, Self-Harm, Sex Toys, Siren Rhys (Borderlands), Somnophilia, Sorry Lilith Stans, Squirting, Stuffing, Submissive Rhys (Borderlands), Suicide Attempt, Top Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Torture, Tragedy, Trans Male Character, Trans Rhys (Borderlands), Unethical Experimentation, Unethical Medicine, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, Vaginal Fisting, Violent Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 96,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasspiria/pseuds/Sasspiria
Summary: In which Rhys is a siren who hates himself and hates his abilities and Jack is the man that takes him under his wing and takes control of his life for him.(There's a lot going on in this fic, I tagged for all of the big stuff, but I will add additional content warnings in chapters that they are applicable)
Relationships: Angel & Handsome Jack & Rhys (Borderlands), Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: Every Planet, Every Star [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1934572
Comments: 72
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a 10k word one shot lol it got so insanely out of hand 😅😅😅
> 
> A lot of this is already pre-written, so it will be finished much faster than my usual multi-chapter fics that i write chapter by chapter, but i got sick of it being in the drafts so i wanted to post some of it. The first couple of chapters are just Rhys' back story and all of the shit that he goes through but he'll meet Jack soon, promise. Tell me what you think! 
> 
> [Talk to me on twitter!](https://twitter.com/Sasspiria)

When Rhys had been a child, he had wanted to run his own business, to be top of the ladder in the corporate field. He had even printed out little business cards that he would give to people when he met them. But any dreams of upward mobility and success had disintegrated for him when his abilities had manifested. With a bang, a destructive and monstrous sort of bang that’s aftershocks followed him throughout his entire life. He had been only thirteen when his abilities had first shown themselves.

* * *

It had been nearly a week after his thirteenth birthday, he had woken up with intricate blue markings all over the right side of his body. They were pretty, he thought, and he usually didn’t like pretty things but these ones… he liked how they looked, spanning across his body. He couldn’t have had any sort of ideas what they had meant to him. They were just a pretty surprise to wake up to, in his mind.

Rhys walked downstairs, to his kitchen. His mother looked at him in a scrutinizing sort of way, “What are those?” She asked, pointing at his markings. “Where you messing around with paints last night or…” She trailed off, waiting for him to answer.

“What?” Rhys asked and then looked down at the markings all over him. “Oh. I dunno!” He said, “I guess that I just woke up with them?” He shrugged and sat down at the table, grabbing his breakfast which consisted of a full glass of orange juice, a blueberry muffin and some scrambled eggs. He smiled serenely and dug into the food.

His mother crossed her arms and looked at the tattoos in a scrutinizing sort of way. “That’s odd…” She commented, in a blasé sort of way, before she decided to move on. None of them knew anything about sirens or vaults or anything like that, so they didn’t think about it twice when they popped up on his skin. “What do you want to do for your birthday?” She asked, leaning in with a big, loving smile spread across her face. “Me and your father, we got the whole day off for it, so we can do whatever you like.” She said.

Rhys had never been one to ask for much of his parents. For Pandorans, they were all rather lucky. They lived in a small satellite city that crafted and distributed goods for Hyperion, his father worked in a factory manufacturing gun parts and his mother worked in a public hospital as a nurse. They worked a lot to make sure that Rhys lived a healthy and happy life.

The upside of that was that, although they didn’t have much and money was always tight, they had enough that Rhys could go through his schooling and have some of the things that a growing teenage boy needed – counting the costs of his transition, that was a pretty high cost. The downside of that was that they worked nearly twenty four seven and rarely got the chance to spend time together as a family.

So, Rhys was really excited to be able to spend some time with them now. He hadn’t asked for much more than that – okay, he had really wanted a kit to build his own loader bot but that was a little out of his parents price range – and the three of them had gone out to a local park with a meal set up for a picnic and some games that they could play together – cards, board games and a Frisbee – while they wasted the day away in each others’ company.

It was warm out that day, so Rhys had decided to wear a pair of shorts and a tank top – a part of him also wanted to show off the pretty blue tattoos that spanned down the length of his body because they were just so lovely that he wanted everyone that he came into contact with to see them. They had been at the park for a few hours when he realized what a mistake that had been.

It was late in the afternoon and they were just about to pack up and go home when a group of tough looking men drove up to them – Rhys had been sheltered quite a bit growing up, but even he could tell that they were bandits and marauders. The three of them stood up in alarm, as did nearly everyone else that had been hanging around outside. The whole town was quickly in disarray. These things didn’t happen here. They never did. They were supposed to be under the protection of Hyperion.

They had sacrificed their personal freedom and any choice of leaving the city – they were property of Hyperion, by all rights, the children that lived here would grow up into loyal Hyperion employees and live in the city, producing goods and working for the other employees in certain sub-industries – in exchange for the protection of one of the biggest superpower corporations in the universe.

The three of them had stood to attention, both of his parents had stood in front of him in a protective formation with their hands locked together to hide him from the sight of the bandits.“What’s happening? Who are these people?” Rhys whispered to his father. His father was a large and brash looking man. In his youth, he had fought in Dahl’s army before the corporation had abandoned Pandora and even after he had defected to Hyperion to work in one of the factories, he had never lost his edge as a soldier.

“It’ll be okay, kiddo.” His father whispered back, low enough that Rhys could just barely hear what he said. “Just be quiet and stay out of sight.” He added, his voice stern. He looked at his mother, “They aren’t looking at us right now, go and take him and hide somewhere.” He said, his voice gruff and stern. “I love you both.” He said, as though he wasn’t sure if they were ever going to be able to say those words ever again.

Rhys’ mother nodded with tears in her eyes – she didn’t say a single word back to him, because she couldn’t – and grabbed Rhys firmly by the shoulder and pulled him down so that the two of them could crawl away, “Come along, little one. We need to find a good place to hide.” She said quietly, her voice so sweet that it was saccharine - sickeningly so at that. Like being forced to drink antifreeze.

“What about dad?” He asked, “You’re not gonna leave him there.” He said, trying as hard as he could to be firm with her – like he was a little version of an adult – but there was an anxious tremor in his voice. “He could… those people are really dangerous.” He added, as if she wouldn’t know that just by looking at them.

His mother had always been a quiet and gentle sort of person, she was delicately built just like Rhys was, and she had always had a gentle, sweet way of mothering him. She was just as ill suited to a situation like this as her child was. She was just as scared of what would happen as he was, “He’s gonna keep us safe.” She said, her voice soothingly, her voice even while her body shook and trembled with unspoken fear. “He’s gonna protect us. But he won’t be able to do that if we don’t find somewhere to hide.” She added.

Only then was Rhys convinced, the two of them crawled quietly and found a small hiding space – a shelter that was meant for people to hide in case of the earthquakes that occasionally struck in the area of Pandora that they were in. Rhys and his mother lay on their stomachs, with their hands over their mouths so that they could be as quiet as possible while they watched the exchange go down.

Rhys’ father walked towards one of the bandits, his hand straying close to where his personal gun was still holstered. He didn’t want to pull it out, in fear that it would escalate the situation to something that was even more disastrous for the workers around them. “Just what the hell do you all think that you’re doing here?” He asked, looking at the men, imploring them to leave. There was no slow escalation of conflict. No arguments. No shouting. Just quick and bloody murder.

The next thing that any of them knew, one of the bandits shot out at him quickly, in moments his body was riddled with bullets – he didn’t even get a chance to pull out his firearm to defend himself, it had all happened so fast. The most optimistic thing that could be said about it was that he had most definitely died quickly. “Killing you.” The bandit responded, as he stared giddily down at the mans’ dead body. Some of the men laughed at his little joke, like it was the height of comedy.

Rhys watched in horror as he fell to the ground, dead with holes riddled through his body. “DAD!” He shouted in panic, coming out of his hiding place as his father was knocked down to the ground, blood pouring from his head. He ran towards him, angry at the bandits and fiercely protective of the man that might have just given his life to protect him. “No, no, no!” He snapped, “What did you do to him?!” He lashed out at one of the bandits.

“Well, lookit what we’ve got here!” One of them, a large, muscular yet rotund man with scars spanning all over his body. “Looks like Flesh-Ripper was right! This shitty little Hyperion company town has a real genuine siren!” He announced, staring Rhys down in a way that made him feel very uncomfortable for reasons that he didn’t quite understand. “And here I thought we’d just get some new torture dolls!” Then he laughed low and mean.

Rhys shook with fear. He had no idea what the man was talking about, he had no idea what a siren even was. The bandits gaze darkened. “Grab him!” He snarled. The next thing that Rhys knew, there were bandits all around him, ready to attack him in moments. When he was grabbed around the waist by one of them while another tried to tape his mouth, his panic intensified.

Rhys screamed and tried to wrench out of the mans’ arms, “Get the hell off of me!” He screeched, kicking and fighting him with as much stride as a small teenage boy had the capabilities of doing. His would be captor just laughed at him. Tears sprung from his eyes and he screamed, even louder as they shuffled to get some ropes and binds on him.

Then chaos sprung up all around them, the workers were screaming helplessly as some of the women and children were harassed and grabbed, other people were shot at and stabbed, stores were ransacked and houses were looted. It was awful and Rhys couldn’t do anything to stop it. He didn’t have any power or strength and he had no idea what he could do to stop it.

Things were already bad then, but then they got impossibly worse. People were corralled into cages and taken as slaves, assaulted and killed. “Burn the whole fucking place down!” The lead bandit screamed, his fist pumped righteously in the air. “Burn this company down to dust!”

That was enough. Rhys cried out in despair for fear of what would happen to his mother, who was stubbornly still hiding. “NO!” He screamed, flailing around. Somehow he ended up loosening the binds enough that he could get free. He turned around at one of the bandits and his eyes flashed with hatred. The next thing that he knew, he pushed his hand out and spikes of ice shot out – seemingly coming from nowhere – and flew right into the bandits throat before he could duck. He was down in a second.

He didn’t care, he needed to find his mom. He found her in the exact same place that she had been hiding when he ran out for his father, but her body was burning – for some reason, it felt like the flames didn’t touch him. It was like something inside of him cooled the heat and neutralized it for him. He barely noticed how his markings had started to flicker and light up, but he was so wound up and angry that he didn’t bother to question it.

“ _Mommy_?” He asked as he found her, his voice tiny like he was a little child again. His mother responded by coughing and wheezing, the smoke had filled her lungs. With all the strength that he had which, admittedly wasn’t much, he tried to pull her out of the space and to safety. But by the point that he got her out, he realized that it was already too late.

She was dead, laying flat unblinking and not breathing. “N-n-n-no.” He sobbed, as he tried to get her to wake up. “Please wake up. Please wake up, mom, we have to get out of here…” Sobs racked his chest as he tried to get her to wake up, return from the dead. But whatever strange abilities that he possessed, he didn’t seem to have the ability to bring people back from the dead.

After a few moments of prodding her and sobbing, he came to his senses and stood up. He was still sniffling and whimpering, misery and despair coursing through him as he walked off, his arms crossed over his chest to close himself off to the rest of the world around him. He only took a few steps before he noticed that quite a few of the bandits were still running around the place, causing havoc.

Rhys wouldn’t abide by that, he was going to take all of them down. It was like he was a man possessed, he moved without being conscious of anything that he was doing. His powers seemed to take control of him as he killed bandit after bandit. It wasn’t until nearly all of them were dead that he came back to his senses. He walked through the streets of the city with a miserable and heavy feeling weighting down on his shoulders.

Then a little bit of that weight lifted off of his shoulders when he saw another person walking away, he thought that everybody was already dead or had run away by now if they had gotten the chance to do so – and most of them didn’t, most of them had burnt to death in cages while they waited to be shipped off as slaves – so he was excited to see another living, breathing person in the middle of all this wreckage.

He ran towards him quickly, but by the time that he was close enough to feel some regret for that it was a little too late. Because the man that he had ran towards, the only other living person that he could see for miles? It was the same man that had killed his father, shot him down and laughed about it. Rhys refused to let him get away from this. He didn’t deserve to live when his father and mother were dead because of him.

“YOU!” Rhys snapped as he stood up, his eyes aflame with rage. His tattoos flared up once again and little swirls of ice circled around his entire body. His breath came out in rage filled little puffs, like he was on the verge of hyperventilating because of how angry he was. “I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You.” He growled, before running towards the man.

The bandit didn’t realize what Rhys was at first, until he was only a few feet away from him. He turned on his heel, ready to run away from the crazy siren when he saw the murder filled look in his eye and the tattoos blazing white. But it was too late for him and in a flash, a million small clusters of ice shot out at him and coated the entire span of his body – essentially turning him into a large ice statue of a bandit.

He was still alive – though he probably wouldn’t stay alive for long – and Rhys could see the mans eyes darting around rapidly in fear. The siren figured that the bandit believed this to be the worst thing that could have happened to him. Rhys didn’t agree with that one bit and he decided to correct the bandit on that idea. Rhys spat in his face. “You deserve much worse than this, bandit.” He growled.

Then Rhys sighed miserably. He was still angry, still vengeful and hateful for the man. But he knew that there wasn’t much more that he could do to him and the best thing for him to do was to move on. Rhys looked around at the town that he had once called home. The town that he had been born in. The only place that he had ever known. He was incredibly disappointed to find that there was nothing left for him, or anyone else for that matter, to salvage, everyone that was still standing had already run off and all of the bandits were already dead. He sighed miserably as he got to the edge of town.

Eventually, he found a Catch-A-Ride machine and decided to put in his fathers’ information. A large technical was digi-structed out of nowhere and he climbed inside of it. He had never driven a car before, he was too young to know how, but he knew that he wouldn’t get anywhere without a vehicle. He would learn on the job, he supposed, or he would die trying. Which end he would have preferred for him, he couldn’t really be sure.

* * *

After that first loss, Rhys had run himself ragged to keep himself out of danger and pain. At that point he had led himself to believe that these sort of things didn’t happen to people. At least not good people and Rhys had always thought of himself as a good person.

He had never lied. He had never cheated. He had stolen or hurt anyone. He was only a kid. He had no idea what he could have done to deserve something like this. Maybe, he thought, maybe in some past life he had been truly evil. But otherwise, he didn’t know what he did wrong.

He hoped that it was just a fluke. That this was the one time in his life that everything had gone so terribly wrong that it would leave him aching and filled with nightmares for the rest of his life. He would come to find that he was dead wrong about that. It was the first of many more losses and traumas to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flash forward a couple of years. Rhys is living with Sasha, Fiona and Felix. After a lot of prodding and pushing from Felix and Fiona, he takes the lead on his first job. Everything goes great...until it doesn't.

Rhys had been wandering on his own for nearly a year by the time that he put down roots again. When he met Sasha, Fiona and Felix, he was still delusional in his belief that he could move on and leave a semi-normal life, even with his powers bogging him down. They had found him sleeping on the dirty streets of Pandora, in Hollow Point – he was just skin and bones at that point, dirty and starved and frightened of his own shadow after one too many close calls with bandits that wanted to take advantage of him or his powers.

They had offered him a new life, with people that cared deeply for him. He quickly discovered, after living with Sasha and Fiona for a short time, that he was a phenomenally good thief. Being able to freeze time and people made it easy for him to stop everyone from moving while he grabbed the things that they needed to survive or wanted to sell for a bit of cash. At first he had had a lot of reservations about it – stealing, he said, that’s illegal – but eventually his hunger and his desperation to be accepted among his new found family had won out.

For a long time, at least a few years, Rhys had lived with them at their side. By the time that his rotten luck had finally caught up with him again, he had been convinced that nothing like that would ever happen to him again. In hindsight, Rhys felt like it was partly his fault that it did happen, because he let himself get weak after so long living a semi-normal life. He should have stayed vigilant. He should have always made sure to stay on his guard.

* * *

Rhys sat in his corner of the caravan, tinkering away with an old out of commission Atlas robot that he had found in the wreckage of one of the long abandoned Atlas facilities that littered Pandora. Rhys was having a lot of fun trying to get it to work again. He loved tech and robotics, he loved to tinker around with things, take them apart and put them back together again so he could figure out what made them tick.

Rhys was so immersed in the action that he didn’t notice the chaos and arguing that was taking place in the caravan around him. Fiona and Felix were arguing – much like they always did, it was no secret that Fiona was Felix’s favorite but the drawback there was that he held her to a much higher standard then he held Rhys and Sasha – he knew that much. But the specifics? He had no way of being able to know that and you couldn’t pay him enough money that he would be convinced to care about it in any case.

Rhys wasn’t very involved or competitive when it came to their cons. If Felix ever bothered to ask him to do anything it would be to use his abilities to finish off the job and grab what they needed before they were gone. Which was fine. Rhys wasn’t much of an actor or a liar. He preferred it when he wasn’t forced to go to far out of his comfort zone. He was perfectly happy just tinkering with his bots and helping out in the way that he was already talented in, thank you very much.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by his sister Sasha poking him, quite painfully, in the side with his own stun baton. Then he squeaked and turned around, “What the fu-” He blurted out as he looked up at her. “Oh. Sasha. What do you want?” He asked, his voice coming across clipped and agitated.

“Hey.” She said, sitting down next to him. “What are you working on?” She asked curiously, eyeing the banged up bot with interest. Rhys was always doing strange things like this – he had a strange talent for robots and other mechanical or electrical objects, especially considering how all of the training and education that Rhys had received stopped when he was thirteen.

Fiona interrupted them in the middle of Rhys’ explanation. The two of them eyed her curiously, before Rhys pushed any thoughts of her aside and continued to his work, sometimes he would become fastidious and single-minded and when he was like this, talking to him was much like talking to a brick wall. Knowing that she wouldn’t get much out of Rhys when he was in one of these moods, she turned to Sasha. “What’s he doing?” She asked.

“He’s trying to get this bot turned on.” Sasha explained and when Fiona gave her a questioning and scrutinizing sort of look she added, “I don’t get it either.”

Fiona didn’t understand his hobbies and rarely put much effort trying to learn about them. In her eyes, it was just Rhys being Rhys – lovable but unconventional Rhys. “Oh. Weird.” She scrunched her nose up. Rhys rolled his eyes at that and shook his head with the thought that he would never be understood plaguing his mind momentarily as he did so. She roughly grabbed Rhys by the wrist and pulled him to his feet. “C’mon.” She urged quickly. “You’re gonna be helping me out today.”

“Why?” Rhys asked, looking unenthusiastic about the idea of being at the forefront and not without good reason.

“Felix wants you to help on this job.” She explained. “More than you usually do.” She added when Rhys pouted and looked at her miserably. As far as Rhys was concerned, they had established a routine and a hierarchy – Rhys thought that it worked out well for all of them. He had no idea why Felix would try to change things so dramatically, but he didn’t really understand Felix on the best of days – his motivations were almost always unclear to Rhys.

Rhys groaned and threw his head back in exasperation in response to that, “But _Whhhhyyyy_?” He asked, his voice coming across as whiny and agitated. He hated when things changed so suddenly like this.

“Yeah. Why?” Sasha interjected. She was the one that was always demanding to be more heavily included. She was the one that was actually interested in being more involved, unlike Rhys who would have preferred it if he could live on the straight and narrow for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have that privilege, none of them did, so they did whatever that had to so they could eat and keep their roof over their heads. “Don’t ask me.” She defended against the both of them as it looked like they were about to start an ambush against her, her hands put up in a mockery of surrender. “Ask Felix. He’s the one that told me to grab Rhys for this one.” She explained.

Of course Felix wasn’t there – he was on sight at the job they were supposed to go to, so Rhys had no chance to complain about it. “Don’t worry.” She soothed, “It’s a small time job. There shouldn’t be any problems.” She said.

“But why me?” He whined, like he was being asked to do something terrible and burdensome. Like he was being asked to sell one of his kidneys or give away a few pints of blood. The thought of doing a con on his own like this made him feel just as dizzy as giving away all of his blood.

“I dunno.” She said again, “Ask Felix.” It was obvious that they would only go around and around in circles with each other. Eventually, Rhys realized that there was no point in fighting with her and decided to go along with little other complaints. Fiona was right. The job was simple, they had gone to a small township of bandits and other types of people. There was, for lack of a better word, a tacky museum gift shop there, with a neurotic looking man at the helm of it.

His name was shade and Rhys’ job was to distract him. When Rhys had asked why, Fiona had explained to him that Shade was an easy person to lie to – if just because he was so desperate for friendship and company that he wanted to believe whatever a friendly face told him – but he was so unhinged that most people didn’t have the patience to deal with him for more than a few minutes at a time. Fiona certainly didn’t want to have to deal with him. And neither would Sasha.

Out of the three of them, Rhys was the most willing to put up with weird strangers talking to him at length for hours. Fiona knew that, if it were her or Sasha, it would be difficult not to end up punching him. Rhys didn’t think that was true, but he didn’t really have a choice in the matter. “Fine.” Rhys replied, rolling his eyes as he spoke to her. “But I don’t think I’m as friendly – or whatever – as you and Sasha seem to think that I am.” He said.

Fiona gave him an overt side eye and let out a scoff, “I didn’t say you were friendly.” She replied, “I said you were a push over. Those are two very different things.” She explained, like she was very worldly and knowledgeable on the topic. “Friendly, nice people are like that just because they want to make friends and help people. Pushover’s just don’t want anyone to be mad at them.”

“Oh come on!” He replied, his voice filled to the brim with mocking offense at the mere mention that he could be. “I am not a pushover.” He defended. “I am just… that’s not what I am.” Even as he said it, he was sure that he was protesting a little too much to come across as if he wasn’t convinced that he was a little bit of a pushover himself.

“Sure, you’re not.” She replied, ruffling his hair a bit – much to his annoyance. Then her face became totally serious as they walked up to the shop. “I’m gonna scout around back, you go in front and strike up a conversation with Shade.” She directed.

“What do you plan on stealing?” He asked, mostly out of innocent curiosity. He supposed that it didn’t really matter, in the long run,

“Dude’s got lots of cash, like loads of it.” She replied quickly as she walked off, “Everyone knows about it but most people leave him alone because of how he is.”

“How… is he?” Rhys’ mind was instantly filled with worst case scenario – like what if Shade was a cannibal, or a pervert or someone that had jars of urine in his refrigerator. Rhys worried that he was walking into a horror movie situation, one where he wouldn’t come out until

“You’ll see.” She said vaguely. That didn’t give Rhys a good impression of the man. But he didn’t really have any choice but to keep going with the job. His only other choice would be to leave his family and he didn’t really want to do that. “I’ll signal you once I’m done.” She promised. Then… Rhys was totally on his own. He took a deep breath and wandered into the shop.

He was almost instantaneously ambushed by a strange looking man with messed up teeth, a straw hat and a too wide smile. Then he realized exactly why people avoided Shade like the plague. He wasn’t dangerous, he was just incredibly strange. Maybe that gave him a worse impression and made him more dangerous looking to the general public than he was in reality.

Still, Rhys could understand why people might have that impression of him – as harmless as he most likely was – when he greeted people by jumping down from the ceiling. “Hi!” Shade blurted out at Rhys, pushing his hand out in front of him for Rhys to take it in a handshake.

“Oh my god!” Rhys snapped, anxiety coursing through him, his hand pressed to his chest, as he took a step back away from the other man. Shade’s smile didn’t falter, not for even a second as Rhys got his composure back to normal. “I, I mean-” He laughed nervously, “Hi. Hello. You must be…who are you?” He asked, playing dumb as if he hadn’t heard of him already.

“I’m Shade.” Shade helpfully supplied. Rhys sighed quietly through his false smile and shook the strange mans hand. He understood right then, that Fiona had a bit of a point when she called him a pushover – that didn’t mean that he had to like it, but he could at least be honest about that fact. Rhys introduced himself politely and Shade continued on with his diatribe, “Well, Rhys.” He said, enunciating his name like it was some sort of special title. Rhys quirked his brow at that but didn’t say anything in response to that, “Unfortunately, we are closed. Right now. For now. We’re renovating, as you can see.” Then he broadly gestured around the area, as if to highlight the mess.

“We?” Rhys questioned and then immediately regret what he was doing. Then he kept speaking, his voice a little bit too loud and a little bit too friendly. Rhys figured that he must have spent a lot of time on his own and his social skills had terribly suffered because of it. “Who is we?” He asked one more time. He looked around for any sign of any other life in the shop, but there was no one in sight.

Shade essentially ignored what Rhys said and continued on speaking, “I inherited this shot from my grand-pappy, not because he’s dead. He is very much alive!” Shade chuckled nervously, “Come along, I’ll show you the exhibits.” He said. Rhys wandered through, walking a few paces behind Shade as he showed him all of the things that he had on display.

It all started off very tame. The first thing that Shade showed him was a Bullymong – Rhys had run across one or two of them in his day, they were large and intimidating creatures. Their fur was incredibly soft, though…Rhys had always wanted to get enough money that he could get a blanket that was made out of it. Someday.

The next exhibit was a little bit more gruesome. It was a human this time, and not just any human. It was Commandant Steele. He recognized her – she was famous for what she had done a few years back and how she had died. He also knew about her because she had been a siren, just like he was. He couldn’t help but move forward and trace the outline of her tattoos. He felt this strange mixture of closeness and revulsion at the sight of her.

He had heard, for the longest time that all sirens were part of the same family. The bonds that the abilities they had been gifted granted them, ran deeper than blood. Many said that they were much closer than family. For the longest time, he had always doubted that that was true, but looking at the siren now – looking at her corpse… he felt a strange sort of kinship to her and he couldn’t explain why. Well, it didn’t matter either way, he didn’t want to be a part of this family of super-powered murderers. He wanted no part in what they did. What they could do. In his mind it was wrong, despicable.

He frowned and pulled back. The next few exhibits were much less interesting to him but just as morbid and gruesome – a man that had been stabbed to death, an Atlas worker… and many more things just like that. They walked further until they came to the last exhibit.

Rhys’ eyes widened as he saw the man in the easy chair. ‘Hello, grand-pappy shade.’ Rhys thought as he looked down at the corpse of Shade’s grandfather, preserved with taxidermy on what Rhys could only think was his favorite chair. He waved at the corpse of the man in a darkly humorous gesture. Part of him was worried that Shade would try to introduce him to the man. That would be incredibly awkward and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep up the charade – that he was already doing poorly, in his own opinion – if that happened.

“So, what do you think?” Shade asked, leaning in close to Rhys. Rhys was truly at a loss for what he should have said to that. He opened his mouth and closed it multiple times as he tried to figure out how to respond without offending the strange man in front of him.

“I think…” Rhys said, his voice wistful and uncertain. He looked around the shop, as if to find something else that they could talk about instead of what he was being asked to comment on. Then he noticed Fiona, sneaking right behind the two of them. He smiled and internally sighed with relief that this was nearly over. “I think that it’s a great… memorial?” He said finally, with a big shrug.

Shade’s face fell at that, “A memorial to what?” He asked, looking sad and confused.

“I don’t know.” Rhys giggled and then looked back, he noticed that Fiona gave him a thumbs up and a smile before she turned around to make her escape. That must have been the signal, Rhys realized as he watched Fiona crawl back into the vent, a bag of goods under her arm.

Rhys smiled at Shade and put on his most diplomatic face. “Well. This has been great, honestly, I’ve had such a good time.” He pretended to look down at his watch, “But would you look at the time? It’s already so late! I have to meet with my… mother at the…church? Yes, that is where I need to be going. To church.” He nodded, hoping that Shade wouldn’t see through the threadbare lies that he was spouting.

Shade seemed incredibly disappointed to let Rhys go, but thankfully he was naive and socially inept enough that when Rhys gave him his excuse he seemed to believe him, “Alright. Well… tell your

Walking out of the shop, Rhys was surprised that it had gone so well. He had expected something awful to happen – like maybe, he would put his foot in his mouth or end up knocking his head on something and making a fool of himself. But, no, he was cool as a cucumber. Rhys was delighted by how well he did and he was sure that Fiona felt the same. As he walked out, he had a realization: Maybe, he could handle doing this con artist stuff full time. Just maybe.

* * *

The three of them ran out of the shop with the riches that they had attained. Rhys felt strangely invigorated by what they had just done. “See, it’s like I told you.” She said, punching him gently in the shoulder. “It all worked out fine.” Rhys smiled nervously at that. “Maybe in a few years, you’ll be nearly as good at this as I am.” She said cheerfully.

“Yeah,” He replied and giggled, “Maybe I’ll even be better than you one day.” He added, his tone of voice cheeky and antagonistic. Truthfully, he doubted it, but saying that kind of thing never failed to get under Fiona’s skin.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” She said, her tone of voice mockingly serious. “It’s good to have goals, but they should be realistic.” She added, even more openly teasing. The two of them decided to celebrate Rhys’ first successful con together. Fiona had taken him to a beaten up looking bar and restaurant combo in the next town over from Shade’s gift shop.

He knew that, walking into the place, that Fiona was planning on getting them sloppy drunk so that they could truly celebrate. On any other civilized planet, the two of them wouldn’t be allowed to buy drinks in the bar – they were both only seventeen – but this was Pandora. Drinking moonshine from the age of twelve was a time honored tradition and the both of them regularly liked to engage in it.

They walked into the bar and seated themselves down at one of the tables, sitting across from each other. Someone quickly came to serve them and Fiona took the lead ordering all kinds of different foods and drinks

“Are you two celebrating something?” The server, a gruff looking man with a big name tag on the shirt that said, ‘Gus’ asked. He didn’t seem very interested in either Rhys or Fiona, his tone was bored and dismal, but they both decided to respond anyways as if he was interested in their lives.

“Oh, um, I don’t know Fiona. Are we celebrating?” Rhys asked facetiously, smiling at her viciously from across the table.

“I dunno.” Fiona mocked a shrug and then nodded, “Yeah, Gus, we are definitely celebrating.” She said, with a smile.

“We just pulled off-” Rhys started and then stopped himself when he realized what he was saying he stopped himself. “You know what, never mind.” He added with a nervous giggle.

Gus The Server looked incredibly unamused with the both of them, it was obvious that he was barely refraining from rolling his eyes at Rhys and Fiona’s antics. “I’ll be back with your order.” He grunted and walked off to the back of the restaurant, grumbling the whole time that he did.

“He hates us.” Rhys replied, giggling quietly behind his hand as he spoke. “He’s gonna spit in our drinks.” He added, trying to be serious for a moment, before he broke down in another fit of giggled, hiding his face in his hands as he did so. He pulled up and added, “Yours especially.” With grave seriousness.

“Really?” Fiona smirked, “I think he loves us, actually.” She replied, her voice cheeky and filled with laughter. “I think he’s big fans of Fiona and Rhys.” She added and then poked him in the shoulder in a teasing manner. “I think that he’s especially proud of Rhys’ evolution into a true, blue con artist.” She added with a smile that was genuine enough that Rhys couldn’t bring himself to mind the teasing.

“Sure.” Rhys replied, giggling more. It didn’t take long for their food to get there and Fiona payed for it as quickly as it came, so they didn’t need to have anything to worry about. The two of them ate their fill and drank their weight in Pandoran moonshine.

It didn’t take long for them to become happy and tipsy, telling old stories of botched jobs and Rhys’ past failures. “Shit.” Fiona commented lowly as she saw someone familiar, she sunk down in her chair for a moment and then sighed. She put her hand over her face and slumped down in the seat that she was sitting in.

“What’s wrong?” Rhys asked, leaning forward and eyeing her with concern as he spoke. Her quick switch in demeanor was concerning enough that he couldn’t just ignore her like he might have done otherwise.

“That’s August.” She replied, covertly pointing over to him. August had just walked in, with a few members of his gang. Everyone in Hollow Point knew August well, he was the best fence on this side of Pandora. Which would have been great for them but… the last time that Fiona had worked with August, things had gone south. It was a miracle that August hadn’t had them killed – or not a miracle but a stroke of luck that he had such a soft spot for Sasha.

Fiona had been trying to figure out a way to get back in August’ good graces for months at least, without him they had been blackballed

“Fuck.” Rhys exclaimed, looking back at the blond man with a weary expression spread across his face. “What are you gonna do?” He asked.

“What do you think?” She replied, somewhat flippantly. “I’m gonna go talk to him.” She said. “I have to try and make this right.” She said, “Otherwise we’ll keep being as poor as we are until the day that we finally die.” She added, “Of malnutrition.”

Rhys frowned at that. She had a good point, but if things didn’t go well they wouldn’t be dead in the future, they’d be dead right now. “Are you sure that that’s a good idea?” He asked, twiddling with his fingers as he spoke.

“No.” Fiona replied honestly, “But what other choice do I have?” She asked. “We need to have him on our side, or at least we need to show him that even if he hates us, we’re good enough at our jobs that blackballing us will lose him out on lots of money.”

“Alright.” Rhys said in agreement. “Be safe.” Fiona made a dismissive gesture and walked off to sit next to August. He noted that he didn’t look happy with her, but decidedly didn’t attack her or have anyone attack her. That was probably a good sign, Rhys thought, maybe they would end up with more than one victory tonight. That would be great, all four of them had been long overdue for some big wins.

Still, Rhys hated to be alone in an establishment like this. Even when he was keeping himself covered up and conspicuous, he always felt like there was a target painted on his back that said: Vulnerable, afraid and too powerful for his own good. He slumped down in his seat and hoped that no one would notice him sitting there. That strategy nearly won out, but Fiona was taking longer with August than he would have originally thought. The next thing that he knew, she was walking out of the restaurant with August and his men. “Uh oh.” He muttered to himself. That couldn’t be a good sign.

Some deity with interests that he couldn’t ever hope to comprehend must have noticed his weariness because the next thing that he knew, a man had sat himself next to Rhys at the table. He was a gruff and intimidating looking man, like many Pandoran men were. He smiled at Rhys, showing all of the teeth that he had left. “Hi.” He greeted, offering his hand for Rhys to shake. Rhys didn’t take his hand and instead scooted away from the man as much as he could manage.

 _‘Fiona should be back any moment now…’_ He thought. He hoped. He prayed.

Rhys was instinctively worried about his intentions. It wouldn’t be the first time that he had been… propositioned by one of these men, for lack of a better word, the moment that he was left alone. He smiled politely, “Hi.” He said back. Then he looked back down at the table, avoiding the others’ gaze.

His ‘Guest’ didn’t seem to notice how uncomfortable Rhys was, or if he did he just didn’t care about the young mans discomfort, he leaned in closer – like he was trying to flirt with Rhys. The thought made him feel sick. “I was looking at those tattoos of yours.” He murmured into his ear, his hand was clutched tight around Rhys’ shoulder so that he wouldn’t be able to move. “They look an awful lot like siren markings, don’t ya think?” He asked.

Rhys broke out of the hold after a moment – whether or not the man just let him go, he couldn’t tell – and looked at him in alarm before he caught himself. “Sirens are only women.” Rhys corrected, hoping that that would be the end of that. For a second, he was sure that it would be. “So I would hope that they don’t.” He smiled, but it looked more like a snarl.

“Most are.” The man replied as he leaned back, giving Rhys an appraising sort of look. “But you know, I heard stories.” He said, “Sometime back, there was an attack on one of those little Hyperion towns. That’s strange enough on its own, those places are supposed to have good security but-” He smiled and looked at Rhys knowingly, “Well, rumor has it that some of the men on guard decided to take a bribe and lowered security so the attack could go off without a hitch.” He explained, his voice smug and cool with a sick satisfaction.

Rhys tried his best not to betray any emotion about that. It wasn’t as surprising as he would like it to be that the blame for the death of his family and friends lay in the hands of someone that he had likely known since he was in diapers. Money was more important than anything to some people, and he had met many that would happily feed their grandmother into a meat grinder in order to get even slightly ahead. So it wasn’t really surprising, per se. But that didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt.

He looked at Rhys in a scrutinizing sort of way, before he continued on with his disgusting little story, much to Rhys’ dismay. “Anyway.” He said blandly, “The raid almost went off without a hitch. The men were loading up slaves and torture dolls… many of them dead, it was a great time to be had by all.” He said, consciously excluding anyone in that Hyperion town as a person. He continued on with his story without missing a beat, “Then. A siren attacked. A little boy siren too.”

He laughed, “He destroyed the whole bandit troupe on his own, he was so angry. As far as I know he disappeared, no ones seem him in quite a few years. I would have thought he was dead, but you look just like he was described.” He added, “I mean you’re really a dead wringer for the kid.” He said, his tone of voice suggesting that he already knew the answer. That he was just playing with Rhys in much the same way that a cat would play with a mouse. “Are you?” He asked meaningfully.

Rhys looked up at the man, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. He cursed internally, knowing that if things went bad in here no one would bother to help him. “Uh, no.” Rhys replied, closing in on himself. “They’re just…” He frowned as he tried to figure out what he could say they were instead of siren markings. He had always been such a terrible liar and whenever he tried to lie to someone, he was always caught in the middle of it. Still, he had to try and make it through. There was danger in his existence. “…tattoos.” He said finally, his voice a little pathetic and weak.

“Is that right?” The man replied, scratching his chin like he was deep in thought about it. “Are you sure that those aren’t siren markings?” He asked, “That’s what they look like to me…” He commented insidiously. Then he moved in closer, much to Rhys’ dislike. “So, I’ll ask you again. Are you _sure_ that those aren’t siren markings? Are you positive?” He asked, his voice lower and more cruel, there were unspoken threats in each word that he spoke.

“Yes I’m sure.” Rhys replied, his voice clipped and tight. “It’s my body, isn’t it?” He added, in just as sharp a tone of voice. He kept looking around in search of Fiona. He whimpered as he realized that she was nowhere in sight. She wouldn’t have sold him off, would she? The thought crossed his mind that, maybe, she and Sasha and Felix had decided that Rhys was more trouble than he was worth and decided to dump him off on some bandits, in exchange for some quick cash.

He knew how much sirens were worth on the black market – there were always bandits that were foaming at the mouth to get their hands on one so they could sell them to the highest bidder. For any of the corporations that were on Pandora, fighting over land and resources, it would be a game changer and, depending on how the wind was blowing, having him under their control could turn them from a major player in the war for the planet and victor.

Sometimes Rhys would stay up late at night and think about what would happen if he was caught by one of them. Each company would be different, he would think. Atlas would experiment on him, they would tie him down to a surgical table and do tests on him every day until he either died or escaped in a bloody battle. Whichever came first. Dahl would be much more simplistic in their approach, they would probably just torture him and break him down until he became the perfect weapon for them to use for their militaristic efforts.

And Hyperion… well. You could never be sure when it came to Hyperion. Sometimes they were on the whole, better than the other corporations. Doing outreach, hiring some of the poor people of Pandora, even though it was just a cynical ploy to get employees there was no doubt in his mind that it helped millions of people live much better lives. Other times, they were just as ghoulish and awful as the rest of the corporations. They killed and maimed civilians, the endlessly drilled for resources and… he had heard stories of people being kidnapped and forced to work in their mines.

He shuddered to think about it. Getting trafficked and sold out to any of those corporations sounded like a death sentence to Rhys. For the longest time he had thought, foolishly, that the people that he cared about would never do anything like that. He had been running with them for years, he had never thought that they would just unceremoniously dump him off like that. He realized that he might have just been wrong about them and he had spent years of his life with people that were willing to toss him out like trash. He shook his head, the dark thoughts he was having began to cloud his vision. ‘

Rhys’ thoughts returned to the man in front of him and he realized that he had been much to obliging to him already. “I guess it is your body.” The man replied with a shrug, as if he had made a simple mistake. “And you would know it best.” He looked at Rhys in a way that made him feel incredibly uncomfortable, his body stiff and tight.

Rhys stood up then, on shaky legs. He had to get as far away from this creep as possible. And he didn’t want to risk using his abilities – freezing people was conspicuous and his… other abilities were never as reliable, he still didn’t have great control of his powers and he was sure that he probably never would be able to control them in the same way that the powerful sirens that he had heard about could.

He doubted that he would ever be able to just draw forth whatever ability he had at his command and destroy all of his foes with a wave of his hand. He didn’t have the self-control, discipline or – hell – emotional stability that being a truly bad ass siren required. The best that he could hope for that he would be able to live out a meek and quiet existence, his powers entirely unknown to most.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His assailant growled, though he still had a falsely friendly smile spread across his face. Rhys hated it, he hated how weak he was.

But he wasn’t like those other sirens. He was just… Rhys. Rhys who was weak and always afraid. He was afraid of himself, his own powers, his potential, and every person that looked at him sideways because of the power that he held. “I’ve gotta go.” Rhys replied, his voice squeaky and tight. He was obviously anxious and afraid of what would happen if he stayed in the mans’ presence.

The stranger didn’t reply, or try to stop him from leaving again. Rhys let out a sigh of relief and thought that maybe he had been overreacting. He did that sometimes, whenever he saw someone that – in his own mind – looked like a bandit, he would overreact and assume that they were going to hurt him. It wouldn’t be the first time that something like that would end up happening to him.

He decided to go to the Catch-A-Ride rental that they had used that day to get to the gift shop and wait there until Fiona was done. He walked out into the parking lot with no trouble. It wasn’t until he was nearly at the car, nearly safe that he ran into some trouble. The man from the diner that had been bothering him had decided to follow him out of the bar. “For fucks sake, what do you want!” Rhys snapped at him. Already, he was at wits ends with this bandit. He hated him, even if there was some chance that he wasn’t trying to hurt him – just because he was so aggravating.

“I know who you are, siren.” The man replied, his voice cool and free of emotion. If anything, he sounded like he was feeling smug, which did not bode well for Rhys. So, Rhys decided that his best mode of operation would be to go on the offensive. Rhys’ face contorted into an angry expression, he poked the man in the chest, as if to tell him without using any words that he wasn’t afraid of him.

“Look, I don’t know who the fuck you think I am, but I am not that person.” He said, and then he turned away to walk off. But before he could get very far, he was grabbed by an incredibly large man and his head was knocked into the wall. His vision spotted and he whimpered, trying to get away from them. He didn’t get that chance, because the next thing that he knew someone had grabbed him and threw a sack over his head.

He started to panic, thrashing around in the grip. The next thing that happened was someone shot him with volts of electricity – one of them must have a stun baton, or something like it, he realized sickly as he dazedly squirmed in the mans’ grip. Then his arms were grabbed and he was bashed against the wall one more time.

This time, his vision didn’t spot, he didn’t get dizzy or anything like that. He just blacked out. The last thing that he was aware of happening around him was a group of men cheering and laughing as he was loaded into the back of a bandit technical. By the time that Fiona came back from her brief conversation, Rhys was long gone. He had been carted away by people that were far more cruel and far more capable than either of them could imagine.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter of Rhys' back story! 
> 
> Content warnings for: Torture, dismemberment, eye trauma

When Rhys woke up, he was chained down onto a hospital cot. His arms, chest, legs and knees were cuffed down to the uncomfortable bed. There were pins and wires attached to his head and there were needles inside of him attached to IV drips. He whimpered and tried to look around the area. He couldn’t figure much out, other than the fact that it seemed that they were underground. There were no windows, just fluorescent lights and one large door on the opposite side of the room.

The next thing that he knew, a man in a lab coat walked in. He looked like a doctor, or maybe some sort of scientist. Rhys frowned at the sight of him, but didn’t say anything. “Ah.” The doctor said, “Good, you’re awake.” He said, touching him in a very clinical sort of way as he took his pulse and checked his vital signs. “You were unconscious for days after you were brought here.” He said, his voice just as flat and clinical. It did nothing to put Rhys at ease.

“Who the fuck are you?” Rhys asked, his voice filled with venom and anger. He wanted to writhe and kick, fight against the binds that he was in. But for some reason… he couldn’t. He could barely even turn his head and even that was getting more and more difficult by the moment. He whimpered, not understanding what was happening to him. “What did you… what did you do?” He asked, his voice high and tight with sobs and whines that were caught in his throat. “Where am I?” He asked.

The only thing that he could do was speak. The only thing that he could do was snap impotently at the man in front of him and with every word that he spoke, his tongue got more and more heavy. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, what he could do to get out of this room. “My name is Dr. Cassius Leclemaine.” He explained, his voice flat and professional. It was obvious that he didn’t really see Rhys as anything more than a lab rat. As a subject. “You can call me Cassius. If you’d like.”

Rhys just let out a sob. “I don’t want to call you anything.” He said, “I want you to let me go. I want to go home.” His thoughts trailed back to Fiona and Sasha, to the caravan where he could work on his robotics and bicker with his sisters. He just wanted to go home. “Y-you can’t- you can’t just keep me here!” He snapped at him impotently.

Cassius didn’t seem impressed with his outburst. “Well.” He said, “This is your new home now.” He added, as he unpacked a surgical bag. He pulled out all sorts of tools – sterilized needles, knives and different sort of saws. Rhys’ heart rate began to pick up at an astronomical rate. If he could move, he would have been scratching and pulling at the binds so that he could get them off of his body.

But he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t do anything. All he could do was watch as his face was grabbed and a needle was injected into his cheek. Then his face went slack too, something was stuffed into his mouth and held tight with something like a belt that was fastened around the back of his head.

Then his right eye was held wide open by what Rhys could only describe as pins and pliers. “I would love to tell you that this isn’t going to hurt, but well.” Cassius told him as he arranged Rhys’ face and eyes so that he could do whatever he wanted to do. “This is going to hurt you quite a bit. I won’t lie to you about that.” He said honestly.

Then he turned around and grabbed one of the tools that he had laid out. It was a round, sterile looking tool that reminded Rhys a bit of a melon-scooper. The next thing that he knew, it was sitting right on top of his lower eye lid. Then it went inside of his eye and Rhys’ vision blurred as he suffered through what was being done to him. The pain was excruciating. He had never experienced anything so intense and awful before. It seemed to last hours and hours before it was finally over, before he was finally allowed a reprieve from the torture that he was being forced to endure.

He almost vomited when he realized that Cassius had just taken his eye out. He could see it sitting in a petri dish on one of the tables in front of him, though his vision was admittedly incredibly blurry at this point. But he knew what his eye looked like, just because it was his, because it had been a part of him once. He let out a few whimpers behind the gag as it was loosened from his head. Then the whole where his eye had been just hours before was cleaned up, sterilized and bandaged. Rhys was left alone at that point.

The room became dark and the only thing that he could do was whimper and sob until sleep finally took him over. He had dreams of being back home with his family. He dreamed of being back in the hometown that he had grown up in with his mother and father still alive and unharmed. He dreamed of being in the caravan, being mercilessly teased by Sasha and Fiona while he tried to DM a game of Bunkers And Badasses with them. He dreamed of… just being okay, being safe and being happy in his own element, in a way that he feared that he never would be able to be again.

* * *

Rhys had no idea how long he had been trapped in this small little lab, it could have been hours, it could have been days, it could have been months. He would have no idea of knowing, he had no concept of time. He wasn’t given meals, all of his food was fed to him through a feeding tube that went directly to his stomach, all of his water given to him through an IV drip.

He was insanely parched, his body ached and he was incredibly weak. He wondered what they were going to do to him next, or what they were going to do to him in general. What were they planning for him, he wondered. Were they planning to continue scalping part after part of him, until he was just a husk of who he used to be. He imagined a future where he was still alive, still breathing with his powers still intact, but his body no longer under his own control.

Then there were the other things that were being done to him. To call it torture, Rhys thought, would be putting it lightly. He would be electrocuted, waterboarded, stabbed, whipped…you name it. As far as he understood, what they were doing was testing how his brain reacted – and therefore his abilities – when he was put under duress. He hated Atlas, he hoped that someday, someone burned them all to the ground. If someone offered to help him destroy the place, he would happily sit by their side for the rest of his days. He would do anything to make sure that these people paid for what they did to him.

“Ah, good.” Cassius said, “You’re awake again.” Rhys frowned, but didn’t say anything in response to his polite greeting. He was terrified, angry and miserable, but all of the negative emotions that he felt were impotent and undisclosed. He was already so tired of trying to fight back when there was no recourse for him – when he had no options. “We are going to do something different a little today.” He said and then began to, for lack of a better phrase, sterilize the part of his arm right below where his shoulder and arm where connected. Right below the joint.

His mouth opened in a silent scream of agony as he watched the saw tear into the meaty flesh of his shoulder with the precise aim of hacking it off of him. If he had eaten in the past few days, Rhys was sure that he would be retching all over himself. Rhys blacked out, the pain was so intense that as his vision spotted and slept overtook him, he believed that he was going to die. He was asleep for some time, at least hours, before he finally woke.

He looked down at where his arm had been and eyed the bandaged over stump with horror, even the sanitized version of it – neatly cleaned up and bandaged over – looked like a grotesque and horrible sight to him. “Oh my god.” He whimpered pathetically. “No…” He said, his voice morose and full of grief. He had no idea how, even if he got out of this – which, in truth, he sincerely doubted – he would ever be the same. Atlas had got their claws in Rhys, whether he liked it or not.

After the grief came a feeling of despondency and a depression of the likes that he had never experienced in his life. It felt like, with every breath that he took – a weight pressed down on his chest got a little bit heavier. Just existing felt like an arduous task, one that he was completely unprepared to take upon himself.

At first, he just wanted to go back to sleep. He just felt defeated. Defeated and alone. At least in his dreams and in his fantasies he was able to go somewhere nice, happy and safe. Then… he heard someone calling him. Someone familiar. Someone he felt safe with. The sound pulled at his heart strings enough that his eyes fluttered open and he saw… someone familiar. Someone that he recognized but couldn’t quite put the name to – it was right on the tip of his tongue.

“Rhys.” The familiar voice said. A gentle, yet stern voice of a young woman that was wise well beyond her years. He opened his eyes and looked at the teenage girl in front of him. “Rhys, I need you to listen to me,” She said, her voice a quiet whisper, she brushed her fingers through his dirty, matted hair in a soothing sort of way as she spoke. “Okay, okay… it’s okay.” She murmured, “We’ve been looking for you for months. We couldn’t find you.” She smiled at him, but she looked incredibly sad.

‘Fiona…’ He remembered. His adoptive older sister had come for him. She had come. For him. He smiled weakly at her. “I thought you sold me…” He moaned weakly, he had become incredibly tired and sickly over the months that he had been trapped here.

Fiona looked taken aback, “What? No. You’re part of the family, Rhys. We would never abandon you like that.” She assured, then she pulled a flask out of her pocket and brought it to his lips. “It’s just water.” She explained as he took a few sips. The water instantly made him feel better, a little bit stronger. He looked at her with wide eyes as she eyed the wires around him with disgust and alarm in her eyes. “We’ve gotta get you out of here.” She said. Then she began to haphazardly undo the binds that were keeping him strapped down to the table.

She waited for Rhys to get up and when he didn’t jump off of the table, delighted to get the hell out of this laboratory, she looked at him in a scrutinizing sort of way. “Come on, we don’t have all day.” She urged quickly, grabbing his wrists as if to pull him up. When she dropped it and it fell dead at his side, she looked at him with alarm. “What happened to you?” She asked wearily. “What did they do to you?”

“I can’t move.” He explained. “I can’t understand it, I think they’re giving me something. Some kind of drug?” He looked at her helplessly. He was sure that, even with him being much lighter after he had been dismembered like he had, she wouldn’t be able to carry him out of there before they were found.

“Fuck.” She muttered to herself, before quickly collecting herself. “Okay, okay.” She said, as she started to root around with the tubes connected to Rhys. “I’ve got an idea.” She told him, her voice as reassuring as she could manage – with how dire this all was. She pulled out the tube connected to the IV drips and replaced them with empty ones, she hoped that the drug would work its way through Rhys’ system fast enough for them to leave.

“I think he’s coming.” Rhys warned cautiously. He didn’t have a good concept of time in here, but he was sure that it would happen soon. “He’s never gone for very long.” Fiona knew that Rhys was right about that. Rhys whimpered as she began to step away from him, “Please don’t leave, thought, I don’t know when you’ll come back and I… I can’t take much more of this.” He whimpered, pleading to her with a desperation that he had not ever been known to exhibit – at least not out loud.

Fiona nodded and hid herself inside one of the cabinets, closing herself inside of it as she watched. Rhys had been too timely in his warning, she found out, because in a few minutes after she had found a good hiding spot, Cassius walked back into the room. He was pulling on his latex gloves as he walked into the room, the latex snapping against his wrist – the sound of it was so loud that it hurt Rhys’ oversensitive ears.

Rhys eyed him nervously, “What are you going to do to me today?” He asked, looking at him with fear in his eye. Rhys had never felt so powerful before and he had never been at mercy of someone that was just so… indifferent. He would have preferred outright hatred or bigotry to this clinical detachment that he was experience on a day to day basis. It would make more sense to him, if he was being tortured by someone that was outwardly cruel to him – someone that hated him but there was none of that.

He realized grimly that he was just a job, a means to an end, for Cassius. He wasn’t really a person anymore, at least not while he was strapped down to this stiff feeling cot. “Today, I think we’ll do the other eye.” Cassius said, his voice conversational yet flat.

Rhys was about to frown and accept his fate with defeat as there was nothing that he could do, he couldn’t fight back or move away from him. All he could do was take it and hope that Fiona wasn’t so disgusted that she blew their cover. And then… something happened. For as long as he had been trapped in this room, he had been unable to move, he had been paralyzed.

And even though Fiona had taken the tubes that were feeding him the drugs out, he hadn’t expected it to run through his system as quickly as it had. His fingers started to twitch and move. He let out a sigh of relief, but it came out through his nose. Then the feeling returned in his arms and legs. He was sure that he would be able to get out of these bindings and quickly.

Internally, Rhys was squealing in delight at the prospects of getting out of this deathtrap, more or less in one piece. That was much better news than he had heard in a long time. Cassius turned around, obviously in denial of the fact that Rhys was no longer pacified with paralyzing agents. That was good for Rhys, really good – two incredible strokes of luck in one day, he thought with some mirth, who would have thought?

He took the momentary opportunity to release himself from the binds that he was in, so that by the time that Cassius had turned around he was free. He looked alarmed to see Rhys pulling himself up out of the cot, “What the hell do you think that you’re doing?!” He asked, unconsciously taking a step away from Rhys as if he was afraid of Rhys. Afraid of Rhys’ powers and what he would do to him with them now that he was free.

 _‘Good,_ ’ Rhys thought, for the first time in a long time he was willing to indulge in his more violent fantasies. _‘He should be afraid.’_ A sly grin spread across his face, a cruel grin meant to be worn by someone that was filled with sadistic ideas and cruel fantasies.

Rhys smiled and sat up. “I’m getting out of here.” He said, loudly enough that he was sure that Fiona could hear him in the little cabinet that she had been hiding. “And there is nothing, no-thing, that you can do about it!” He added, as he caught the sight of her sneaking out of the cabinets from the corner of his remaining eye. “Just let me go and I won’t hurt you.” He offered, hoping that if he extended the olive branch to the doctor that he could get through this without any more trouble.

Cassius didn’t respond with words. He looked like he had seen a ghost for a moment, before he dug through his pockets and pulled out what looked like a pager. It was obvious that he was planning on calling security on Rhys, so that they could put him down.

‘Well, there goes pacifism’ Rhys thought, with a roll of his eyes. Rhys squeezed his remaining fist tightly, he could feel his abilities sparking inside up him, flickering up like an ever burning fire. He was about to call them forth – even though he worried that it would end up being overkill – when he noticed Fiona running up behind Cassius with a large oxygen tank in her hands. Then he stopped. And waited.

Fiona knocked him out with one of the tanks and he went down with one strike, Rhys looked at her in amazement for a moment before he blurted out his thanks. “Don’t mention it,” She said and then as she realize how precious little time that they had, she stiffened and grabbed his hand, pulling him alongside her as they made their hasty escape from the facility.

“Come on!” Fiona said, half running and half dragging Rhys along with her. Rhys was still pretty weak and he felt dizzy, his legs loose and limp like jelly. He would like nothing more than to just curl up on the floor and sleep for hours and hours, but he couldn’t. The only reason that he found himself able to keep moving and running alongside her was that his flight or fight instinct seemed to overtake him.

Somehow, they managed to get into the caravan without running into any soldiers. Fiona sat Rhys down on the cot and moved over to where Sasha sat. “Go, go, go!” She shouted to Sasha, who was sitting at the front wheel of the caravan. Sasha nodded and revved up the engine. They started up the caravan and drove as fast as they could away from the facility.

Rhys sighed, “Thank you for helping out of there.” He said, gratefully looking around the caravan. He curled himself up on the cot, his knees pressed against his chest. Every time that he moved, he felt like he was thrown off balance. He sighed, hoping that he would get used to it. “I don’t know what they would have done to me, if you hadn’t come for me, but-” He frowned, deciding not to think on it.

Fiona slapped him on the back in a playful sort of way, “Of course we came for you.” She said, her voice surprisingly sincere. Rhys smiled weakly at her, hoping that eventually he would start to look like himself again. He eyed the loader bot momentarily, maybe if he had some more time, he could do something with it – like make a new arm for himself.

Sasha looked back at him momentarily, “You look awful.” She said, her voice very blunt and matter of fact. “What were they planning on doing to you?” She asked, her voice barely containing her concern for him.

Rhys frowned, “I wish I could tell you for sure,” He said, “I think they were trying to do something awful, maybe break my brain or turn me into some kind of mindless robot – I couldn’t tell you.” If he had both of his arms still, he would have been shrugging right then.

“Well, I’m just glad that you’re-” Sasha stopped speaking as she noticed that they were being ambushed by a few Atlas vehicles. “Fuck. Hold on to something.” She directed, her tone no nonsense and tight with unspoken anxiety. Rhys didn’t get a chance to ask why, because the next thing that he knew, the caravan was swerving onto its side as a handful of Atlas vehicles surrounded them in a circle while they still drove.

Then some of them started to latch onto the walls of the caravan. It was clear that they wanted to get inside. Fiona was sure that they would get inside soon and she had no idea what the hell they were going to do once they did. It probably wouldn’t end well for the lot of them, she realized, but she decided not to voice those concerns out loud. “Shit,” Fiona said, looking from them to Rhys. “We don’t have much- do you think that you can use your ice magic to help us?” She asked.

Rhys rolled his eyes at that and groaned in annoyance, his tattoos flickering as if they too were offended by what she had just said about them. “It’s not magic!” He replied indignantly. “Okay, I don’t exactly know what it is. But magic isn’t it. Magic doesn’t exist.” He said, like it was obvious.

Fiona huffed, “Well whatever it is, do you think you can use it to slow them down?” She asked.

“I can try.” He promised her. That was all that he could promise – that he could try and help, but he worried that it wouldn’t be enough. He only seemed to sporadically have control of his abilities. He didn’t know why that seemed to be the case, only that it was. He stood on shaky legs and waited for the soldiers to inevitably get inside.

They had broken in through the door and ceiling in moments. From then on out, it was total chaos in the caravan, there was Sasha trying to keep a hold of the wheel, Fiona attacking some of the drones as best as she could. Felix had been knocked down onto the ground, he was much too weak in his old age to fight off the men as well as they could.

Rhys tried his best to take down as many of them as they could, but they were incredibly numerous and capable, they didn’t go down in one or two shots and for every one of them that he managed to knock down – not even kill, just knock down – there seemed to be two more in their place. Fighting them was exhausting and Rhys found himself getting weaker – weaker than he already was – and more confused.

It was only a matter of time until he ended up hurting someone on his own side and when he did, it ended up disastrous. One of the Atlas men got just a little too close to him, while he was still hazy and confused and he stepped back – his abilities overtaking him as a bolt of ice shot out…

Only, it didn’t hit his assailant and instead it hit incredibly close to where Sasha was sitting at the wheel, coating the whole dashboard and some of the wheel with ice. “Rhys!” Sasha snapped, standing up and edging away from the drivers seat in order to get as far away from the source of the chill without taking her hands off the wheel. This situation was already precarious enough, she really didn’t need the added stress that the siren had just accidentally caused her.

“Sorry!” He said genuinely, “I’m sorry!” He said again and he would have apologized another time, or as many times as he needed to to get his point across, if they weren’t all in an insanely dire situation. So, instead of keeping up with the apologetics, he decided to try and do a bit of damage control.

But he didn’t get that chance, because the next thing that he knew the caravan started to tear at the seams, becoming unstable from both the weight that it was being forced to hold and the other vehicles ramming into it from the outside. Then things went from bad to worse. Everyone tried to find something stable to hold onto while the caravan dragged along the roads at a breakneck speed.

One of the Atlas men – accidentally or not, he couldn’t be sure – pushed Rhys out of the caravan before he could find something stable to hold onto. The last thing that he saw as he was vaulted out of the vehicle, was Fiona trying to grab onto Rhys to stop him from crashing into the dirt. He blacked out again, grunting as he was forced to eat dirt. He didn’t wake for hours.

* * *

Rhys woke up hours later, not very far from where the caravan had collapsed into 2 pieces. Somehow, he was still alive. Other than the blood that was leaking from his head. He whined quietly and sat up, his head was pounding and aching. He had been in a lot of pain in his life, especially in the last few months, but this was more agonizing than anything else.

At first he couldn’t understand why it was, but the pain that he felt, it moved far beyond just being physical. It morphed into psychic pain, pain that wracked not just his body but his soul too. He stood up on shaky and weak feeling legs and walked over to the caravan.

He looked around for his family, calling for them with his hand cupped around his mouth in a primitive sort of blow-horn, so that his voice would travel much farther than it usually did. He didn’t find them around the caravan… but he did, unfortunately, find them inside of it. Fiona, Sasha and Felix were laid out on the floor dead. Their bodies looked gruesome, he knew that they probably died quickly and painfully. He tried to focus on the ‘quickly’ part of that more than the ‘painfully.’

He couldn’t turn back the wheels of time, he couldn’t bring people back from the dead. All he could do was grieve for them. Rhys looked down at the three of them in shock. His hands moved over his mouth and he let out a tiny little gasp. Somewhere, deep down, he knew that they had died in the crash. But he didn’t think that he would have to confront it in such a gruesome, open way.

He dropped down onto his knees and then he stared and stared at them for what felt like hours, his mouth agape with horror at the sight of them. He looked at them with so much sadness and misery. He wanted to cry for them and if he could he would have. But he didn’t have enough water to shed any tears, so he just quietly sniffled and whimpered until he was finally composed enough to move on. He dug through the wreckage of the caravan in search of anything that he could take – money, food and things he could sell – and packed them up before he returned to the bodies of his adoptive family.

He dug them each deep graves and created little shrines for each of them. A collection of personal little things that he associated with each of them. For Sasha; he had arranged a circle of her favorite weapons, some of the crude drawings she had made for him when they were younger, some makeshift jewelry that he had made for her as a mercenaries day gift a few years back and a few photos of them together.

For Fiona; he placed on of her hats and the ladyfinger pistol that Felix had given her a while back, some notes that they had passed back and forth during the nights where they were both awake while Felix and Sasha slept.

And For Felix; He had pulled out the wallet that Fiona and Sasha had taken from them when they were kids, the reason that he had decided to take them in in the first place, as well as some of the books that he had given Rhys – the ones that were miraculously still left untouched by all of the fire and ice that had tainted the caravan.

He weighted all of their shrines down, so that they wouldn’t be blown away in the wind. And then he stood up and walked off with the small bag of necessities that he had taken. He couldn’t stay here for much longer. Even if he wished that he had the opportunity to spend some time there with them, he wished that he could spend the time that he needed to heal but he didn’t. The whole time that he walked forward, he was plagued with thoughts about them – about his second family.

It was the second time that he had lost his family to bandits. He didn’t know why this kept happening to him. Was this just what his life would be like now? Would he be forced to repeat the same cycle of loss over and over and over again until he finally, mercifully was allowed to die? Losing his family had been bad enough, but this was so, so, so, much worse.

He felt like he was truly at fault this time. That he had killed them. Even if it was entirely accidental, he couldn’t help but blame himself for their lives being loss. In his mind, he had killed them and that made him a monster, a murderer. His thoughts turned from self-pitying to self-loathing and self-punishing. What kind of person would do something like this

He could barely walk as he made his way down the dirt path road. It was eerily quiet then. It felt like he was finally allowed to have a break from the chaos that had followed him for the last few weeks. His body was aching and broken, the only thing that kept him moving was pure momentum and stubborn and vindictive perseverance.

* * *

Rhys had been wandering, on foot, for what felt like days. The upside of being a siren was that his body was strong, even when it was weak. His injuries had healed over the time that he had spent trying to find some sign of life – if he was just a normal boy, he would be dead by now. The downside of being a siren was that he would have much preferred to be dead now. He had nothing, he had no one. He was all alone and he wasn’t even granted the peace of being allowed to die.

By the time that he finally came across a town, his head was foggy and his body trudged along with every step that he took. “Opportunity.” He mumbled to himself as he saw the big bright sign that directed tourists and citizens into the city. It was obviously a company town. It had all the tell tale markings of one. The only difference was that it seemed to be at least somewhat open to the public.

He guessed that it was built like this so that Pandorans would flock to the place in search of safety and employment. He didn’t blame anyone for coming to one of these towns. If his powers didn’t keep him at risk for… whatever the sickest members of these corporations wanted, he would have signed himself up as well. He walked up to the gate and asked for entry. The guard told Rhys that he needed to leave whatever weapons that he might have on him at the door, there were no guns or knives permitted in the city. That wasn’t really a problem for Rhys – the only weapon that he had ever owned was his stun baton and that was long gone. So he had gotten through the gates easily.

Opportunity was a nice little company town. It seemed peaceful. Comforting. In fact, it reminded him quite a bit of the place that he had grown up – a small sanctuary in the middle of all of the chaos and destruction that had plagued the rest of the planet.

He walked into an area that looked like a canteen where they were selling meals for cheap to newcomers, Rhys bought two or three of them and gorged himself on the food and drink – it had been so long since he had eaten, he felt like a shambling skeleton that had been picked clean by vultures. There was no meat left on his bones. Eventually, after he started to feel better, he walked to an intake area where they greeted newcomers – probably to get them to sign up for low level jobs with Hyperion.

There was a woman standing in front of one of the areas, she was a tall dark skinned woman who was dressed well. Her name was pinned onto her vest, it said Yvette. He smiled and greeted her. She greeted him back and asked if he wanted to sign up with an application. He shook his head, “Sorry, I’m just passing through.” He explained.

She nodded, “Well, if you ever change your mind we are always hiring.” She told him. Rhys nodded shortly in reply to that, then decided to change the subject.

“What company does this town work under?” He asked and the woman smiled gratefully, like she was wary that Rhys would try to rob her or do something awful like that. Rhys didn’t blame her for thinking that, he knew how rough he looked these days and if the shoe were on the other foot he was sure that he would be wary of him too. “We’re Hyperion.” She replied, “I’m sure that you’ve heard of Hyperion, all of our efforts on the planet to civilize it and mine the place. Right?” She asked to make sure.

Rhys nodded shakily. “Y-yeah.” He answered, “My parents were Hyperion.” He explained. Yvette glanced down at the stump where his arm had been. He flushed and self consciously covered it with his remaining hand. He didn’t like it when people eyed him in that sort of way, he didn’t like it when people got ideas about him. It made him nervous.

She smiled patiently, “I don’t mean to stare.” She reassured, convincingly enough that if Rhys hadn’t already suffered through so much hardship, he would have easily believed her. But he was overly cautious around new people these days, so he took a step back away from her to maintain some distance. If Yvette was bothered by this, she didn’t say as much.“It’s just that, well, we’ve been looking for some people to sign up for an experimental surgery to provide people with cybernetic limbs.” Rhys found that intriguing. “How long has it been since your accident?” She pressed.

“N-not long…” Rhys replied honestly. “I had an accident not long ago. I’ve been trying to find somewhere safe to go afterwords but-” He sighed and shrugged. “It’s Pandora. You must know how it is out there.” He added quietly. Maybe she didn’t, maybe she was just like Rhys had been before he had been forced out of his home town.

Yvette nodded, in an understanding sort of way. “It’s hard out here.” She agreed, “I’ve only been stationed here for a few months, I don’t leave the city limits and I’ve still had a few run ins with some of the more… unsavory people.”

“Bandits.” Rhys corrected, his voice a little tight. “They’re bandits.” It was obvious to the both of them that he was getting upset even at the mere mention of the people that were putting all of the other citizens of Pandora in constant state of threat and fear that they would be robbed or killed.

“Right, they are.” She agreed, before she decided to turn the conversation. “Well. I can’t imagine how it’s been out here for you.” She added, as a segue. “But the reason that I asked you about your accident is because we have a procedure in the works – a fully automated, centralized, cybernetic limb for certain people.” Then she went on to talk about the logistics of how it would work.

Rhys’ eyes widened at that – he would love to have all of his limbs back. He frowned at the realization that he probably wouldn’t be able to afford it. “I don’t think I can pay for that-” Rhys started to say and she waved dismissively to stop him from speaking further. He shut his mouth quickly and set it into a thin line.

“No, no, you don’t understand. We’ll pay you for going through the surgery.” She offered, “Lots of cash too, because it’s a risky, experimental procedure. And if the surgery goes well, we’ll fund a ticket off of the planet on top of your payment for anywhere you wanna go in the galaxy.” She promised. When she told him how much money he would be payed, his eyes lit up and his mouth went ajar. It was more money than he had ever had, more money than he had made collectively over the course of his short life. It was a life changing sum.

The way that Yvette pitched it – the surgery sounded like a Hail Mary. There was a significant chance that he might not even make it out of the surgery alive and, if he did, there might be complications. On the other hand, the kind of money that could change his life. And it wasn’t like there was much in his life that made it worth living as it stood – worse still, he knew that being disabled on a planet like this would be worse than a death sentence. In the end, Rhys was so desperate for cash that he had no choice but to agree to her terms and sign up for the surgeries.

It seemed that his destiny would be to wander aimlessly in a cycle of mourning all of his losses, making friends with kind people that wanted to help him, losing them in a horrible manner and then mourning them all over again. For as long as he lived, he was sure that he would be an agent of chaos doled out by a cruel and unforgiving god. Chaos picked favorites and it certainly didn’t favor him.

_At least that was what he believed… until he met Jack._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack arrives! And things heat up fast. 👀👀👀
> 
> Content warnings: Drug use, mildly dubious consent (because of drugs not because Rhys isn't interested lol), panic attacks.

Rhys had been wandering from planet to planet for years, never staying in one place for very long. By the time that he had landed on Elpis, being alone had become normal for him. It was safer for everyone else if he just kept moving along every few months or so. He had meant to move on weeks ago and skip off to another planet, but then Zarpedon had started her, apparently in her mind righteous, assault on Helios and Elpis.

So Rhys was stuck on Concordia for the foreseeable future and he really didn’t like that. The thought of being around all these scavs and bandits frightened him, the idea that one of them might get some ideas and try to attack him worried him. Rhys sat at one of the tables with one of Moxxi’s special cocktails in front of him. He had been trying to drink his cares away all night – or at least he was trying to drink enough of them away that he could get some sleep.

He had been so wound up and anxious that he hadn’t slept in days and he was on edge because of it. So far it wasn’t working out well for him, he was on his third cocktail when the panic burst out of him and fast. Rhys curled up on the bench and tried to cover his mouth as he cried. He was no stranger to having a breakdown in public, he had lived as a perpetually frightened and paranoid sort of person that was always on the verge of panic, so it wasn’t like he was embarrassed.

He just didn’t want anyone to notice him. Being noticed almost always devolved into being hurt or manipulated into putting himself in danger. Unbeknownst to Rhys, he was being watched from across the bar by a man that was also trapped in Concordia – Jack. He had been watching the little siren all night, just with innocent curiosity for him. Sirens were dead useful and powerful, they all were, even if they weren’t aware of what they could do. But this one… he looked vulnerable and so tiny for someone of his height.

Needless to say it pulled Jack’s interest and when he noticed the siren panicking he was mesmerized by watching tears stream down his face, breathing in quick little puffs. He couldn’t help but watch him with a perverse fascination. The only time that he thought to intervene was when he noticed the little ice crystals that spun around the siren as he whimpered, hyperventilated and cried. That wouldn’t end well for them, if his powers burst outward, so he decided to help the sweet looking siren out. He walked towards the young man. “Hey…” He hummed, a sympathetic cadence to his voice. Rhys didn’t notice him, or if he did, he didn’t show it. He curled up in on himself and sobbed even more. His shoulders shook and his face was red, his whole body began to tremble.

Jack frowned and grabbed Rhys’ cheek, making him look forward. Rhys cried out in shock, little bits of ice whirling around him, some of it hitting Jack, though he didn’t let it bother him, didn’t even grunt to show his discomfort. “Hey, hey, look at me pretty boy…” He urged as he wiped away the sirens chilly tears. Rhys looked at him with a mixture of confusion, fear and gratefulness that someone – anyone – would care enough to treat him kindly without being asked first. “What’s got you all wound up?” He asked. He kept his voice gentle and easy going.

“I don’t… I’m g-g-gonna be st-stuck here…” He babbled in reply, “I can’t be… I’m supposed to leave but I can’t leave because of that fucking woman attacking us!” He snapped and then put his hand over his mouth, looking ashamed of himself. “I can’t be… I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I f-f-feel sick all the time I d-don’t, can’t be here a-a-any…m-more.” He looked at Jack helplessly before he devolved back into panicked sobs and whimpers.

Jack hummed understandingly. “What’s your name, honey?” He asked, keeping only a few inches distance from the siren. It was a bit like he was boxing him in.

“Rh-rh-rhys…” Rhys replied in between his sobs, his voice broken with stutters and sobs. “M-m-my n-n-name is… m-my n-name is Rhys.” He repeated, sniffling and whimpering the whole time that he did.

“Okay, Rhysie. My names Jack.” Jack replied patiently, placing his hands square on his shoulders, squeezing them gently. Distantly, Jack noticed that he was using the same gentle tone that he would use with his daughter when she got upset like this. He frowned for a moment at the memory of her, before his attention turned back towards Rhys. “Can you do me a favor, Rhysie?” He asked and smiled when Rhys nodded in reply. “Okay, good boy, I want you to breath with me. Can you do that for me?”

Rhys nodded one more time and let out a sob, Jack made Rhys look at him while the two of them breathed in unison. Eventually, he managed to calm down. “I want you to keep breathing, yeah just like that…good. I want you to keep doing that. I’m gonna leave you for a second but I’ll be right back.” He soothed. Rhys did as he was told, breathing in much the same rhythm as he had been when Jack was in front of him with his strangely calming presence. Jack came back a few moments later with a bottle of water, “Here, I want you to drink this too.” He said as he handed it off to the siren. “You’re probably dehydrated.” He added helpfully.

“Th-thank you.” Rhys said, another hiccuping sob bubbling out of him as he spoke. He closed his mouth, his lips quivering. He held the bottle in his flesh hand as he kept whimpering and sobbing. “I’ll drink it later.” He said, quietly, almost to himself. Jack frowned at that and took a few steps towards Rhys, until he was towering over the younger man – despite the fact that Rhys was a few inches taller than he was – with his hand pressed to his chest. Rhys looked at him with confusion, eyes wide and his mouth slightly opened.

“No.” He pressed, his tone firm but patient. “You’ll drink it now.” He added, his voice and entire presence in front of Rhys was overwhelming and commanding. Rhys nodded shyly and pressed the bottle to his lips and took a few tiny sips. Jack stroked the younger mans’ hair as he did so, it was like he was rewarding Rhys for doing as he was told.

Rhys really liked the affectionate touch, it had been a long time since he had spent enough time close to another person that he was touched in any sort of affectionate way. Rhys subtly leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, secretly hoping that Jack wouldn’t notice the way that he responded to the quiet affection. It would be embarrassing if he curled up and purred like a kitten around this handsome and surprisingly stranger treating him like a human being.

It was the first time that this had happened in many years – at least a decade, by Rhys’ count. He didn’t let people get close enough to treat him like a person, he pushed people away by being cold and confrontational but he didn’t feel like he could with Jack. Jack overpowered all of his instincts, his legs shook and he hung onto every word that he said. Jack was charismatic and magnetic, he didn’t know how to do anything but mindlessly obey him whenever he told Rhys what to do.

Rhys was so intoxicated by the older mans’ presence that he wasn’t even sure how he ended up being taken to the room that Jack was staying in – everything just moved so fast – but somehow he ended up on the older mans’ bed with most of his clothing stripped off of him. He lay on Jack’s bed, in his underwear, while Jack towered over him with a transfixed expression spread across his face.

Rhys hadn’t had any idea what could be on the older man’s mind, until he started to trace the markings that were etched into Rhys’ skin. They reacted gently, little sparks and lines moving occasionally in response to the welcome attention. His powers didn’t react much more than that, thankfully. For the first time in a very long time, he felt relaxed and at peace.

Jack let out a low whistle, “These are beautiful, Rhysie. They suit you well.” He commented, looking at Rhys with a strange sort of fondness. “You know, I’ve met a lot of sirens. Never met a boy siren though. Had no idea that was even possible…” He commented and then grinned, “You must be special, huh?”

Rhys just blushed in response to that, he didn’t think that he was special at all. He thought that he was rotten to the core and terrible. “I don’t know.” He mumbled, when it was clear to him that Jack had been waiting on him to respond. “I don’t think so. I think I’m just unlucky.” It was the only thing that made sense to him, after all of the death and misfortune that he had suffered through, all throughout his life. In his mind, Rhys was the punching bag of whatever deities were out there and they spent all their time focused on him, laughing at him.

“Nah, Rhysie, you’re a special one. I can see it.” Jack said, dismissing the younger mans worries. “I have a real fine tuned sense for these things, you know.” He added, tapping his own temple in a teasing manner.

Rhys giggled at that, “If you say so…” he replied, getting more and more flustered by the second. Jack heavily doled out praise and it left Rhys not knowing what he should do with himself. Part of him, and a big part of him at that, wanted nothing more than to curl up around the older man and never leave his side – he could live each day lapping up all the praise and affection that Jack gave him like a lazy little kitten. He could spend each and every day of his life being pet and praised, told he was a good boy. Yeah, he could get used to living like that.

“I do say so.” Jack replied smugly, before he returned to tracing Rhys’ markings. “Seriously, kitten, these markings are just…” He let out a low whistle at the sight of them, “Absolutely _breathtaking_. Did you always have these on your body?” He asked. Rhys shook his head, “Then...what happened?” He asked, voice innocently curious.

Rhys smiled uncomfortably, he rarely talked about his powers like this. Strangely, though, he felt compelled to answer Jack’s questions honestly. “They just showed up one day. Been a thorn in my side for as long as I’ve had them.” He giggled, like it was a joke, but it was clear to both of them that he was deadly serious about it.

Jack hummed noncommittally at that, “So, what can you do?” He asked. “I mean, what sort of powers so do you have? Because I heard that sort of thing is very personal – each siren is different.” He clarified after a moment of Rhys looking at him with confusion – as well as a bit of weariness.

Rhys hesitated to answer, he didn’t know why Jack would be curious about this sort of thing. He had no idea what he could possibly have to gain from knowing about Rhys’ useless abilities. “I can freeze things, like people or things, I can… I guess bring ice forth from my hands and freeze them in place with it.” Rhys explained and Jack peered at him with interest. He motioned for Rhys to go on and he obeyed easily. “I can also… I guess the way that I would phrase it is that I can freeze time too?”

He shrugged, because it was a hard thing for him to explain, but he did his best. “It’s like…everyone else stops, but I keep going.” He explained. “I’m not always able to use it but…back when I was on Pandora it was easy for me to get what I needed that way.” He added, somewhat guiltily. He never took much from people, on the occasions that he stole to survive, but his abilities aided him enough that he never got caught in the act. “I’ve been on my own for a while, so it helps me get around.” He added.

“Do you like being on your own?” Jack asked, his hands trailing up and down the siren’s lithe body with an obvious appreciation for him present in his touch. Rhys wasn’t sure how he should feel about that, but the heat pooling in his gut told him exactly how it did make him feel. Rhys blushed down to his chest as Jack grinned at him so kindly, squeezing his thigh in a comforting manner before he continued on, “Must have been hard, ‘specially since your only… what, twenty two?” He guessed.

Rhys nodded briefly, “No I don’t really like it, if I’m being honest…” Rhys admitted, “It’s lonely, I wish that I could be like everyone else. I want to put down roots but-” He trailed off and sighed, “Never mind. It’s stupid, I’m stupid.” He said, his voice mournful. He wished that he wasn’t like this.

Jack frowned and grabbed Rhys’ cheek, forcing him to look at Jack as he spoke. “No. You’re not stupid.” He said firmly, “Now, I want to help you Rhysie, but I need to know how I can help you.” He explained – saying his words slowly, like Rhys was stupid or a child, “You need to help me help you.”

“You want to help me?” Rhys asked, blinking in confusion as he processed that. “Why?”

Jack dove in, so that their faces were inches apart. “Princess, that’s what heroes are for.” He murmured against his lips. He pressed his lips against the sirens own and kissed him gently. It took a second for Rhys to respond to the affection, but when he did he refused to let Jack go. He held onto the older man tight, with a desperation that he hadn’t felt before. His mind was filled with the idea that he had been missing out on so much in his years of nomadic wandering. It was connection, for the first time in so long he felt a connection with someone else.

He wanted to hold on tight to that more than anything and he would do anything to make sure that Jack would keep him around. Jack pulled away first and Rhys struggled with himself not to whimper at the loss of contact. “Now tell me what’s going on with you.” He demanded, using that forceful tone once again and just like before, Rhys was helpless to do anything other than acquiesce to all of Jacks’ whims.

“I can’t control my abilities.” Rhys blurted out, “I lose control, I hurt people! But it’s n-not just that. Also there are people… they keep chasing me. Bandits and corporate stooges…” Jack nodded understandingly, he knew better than most that it was dangerous to be a siren. “Which just makes it worse, I just… I keep losing people.” Tears sprung from his eyes. “I don’t wanna be abandoned anymore.” He explained, his voice tiny and wet with unbroken sobs at this point. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Ah.” Jack exclaimed, like he understood everything now. “You know, there’s ways to control those abilities you have.” Jack told him, “I know being a siren comes with a lot of hooks but it doesn’t need to be a death sentence.” His hand rubbed soothing circles against Rhys’ knee as he spoke.

Rhys shook his head at that, “I’m not very good at meditating.” He said, “I get easily distracted and my emotions-” He sighed, “It’s no good. I always get anxious or sad and I end up hurting someone. I’m just surprised… and relieved, that I didn’t hurt anyone today.”

‘I might have hurt you. I’m so happy that I didn’t.’ he thought, but refused to voice that sentiment. He liked Jack, he had been so sweet to Rhys so far, he didn’t want to scare him off. He didn’t want Jack to know about what being a siren meant for him, all the pain and suffering that his powers entailed.

Jack shook his head and sat up, fixing Rhys with a very serious expression. “I’m not talking about mediation or crystals, or any of that bullshit. That doesn’t work unless you were raised in fucking convent or have the brain the size of a peanut.” He said. Rhys chuckled, hiding his mouth behind his hand shyly as he laughed. Jack grinned and continued on, “I’ve got tech that I’ve been working on, stuff that could help you control your powers.” He explained.

“You would do something like that for me?” Rhys asked. He had no idea why Jack would want to help him in such a way – people didn’t just do these things for no reason, right? He had to be after something, Rhys reasoned with himself, though he had no idea what – but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If Jack was willing to help him than he would take whatever aid he could get. Anything was better than what he was doing now to remain somewhat stable and sane.

“Sweetheart, I would love to.” Jack promised, with a smile spread across his face. “But first…” He said, irritation morphing his tone. “I’ve got to get back to Helios.” He smiled at the siren and pet him under the chin like he was a little kitten, Rhys melted into the contact. He just loved how Jack made him feel. “Then I’ll be able to help you out. Fit you with some tech… yeah, we could work something out for you.”

“We?” Rhys questioned, his tone and affect coming off as bemused. “Who’s we?”

“ **Me**.” Jack corrected, his smile tight. “Hyperion.” He clarified. “But mostly me, because it’s yannow, my tech. I made it – wrote up the blueprints, built it and everything.” He smiled smugly to himself for a moment before he checked in with the siren. “You want that, right?” Jack didn’t even really need to ask, it was obvious that Rhys wanted that more than anything else. He just wanted to be normal again.

* * *

In the weeks since Rhys had met Jack and been taken into his care, Rhys had started to feel better about himself. He liked the fact that Jack was there, ready and willing to be strong for him and protect him. It wasn’t the first time that he had gotten close with someone like Jack – someone that had zeroed in on him and decided to make friends with Rhys, for their own gain or otherwise.

But it was the first time that he he had gotten close to someone that was like Jack in the sense that he came across someone that he felt so secure and safe with. Jack bade him to stay in place, to be close to him and for some reason Rhys was able to ignore the anxiety that always coiling in his gut when he was around other people. There was also the fact that, Rhys had spent most of his life on Pandora, only rarely leaving to the other border planets, and he was sure that it showed in the way that he acted and presented himself.

He was naive about a lot of things and he knew that. A lot of the time, he was frightened of his own shadow. He was afraid of most other people, he didn’t trust easily and he assumed – instinctively – that they were out to hurt him. But he wasn’t afraid of Jack. For some reason, he felt a kinship to the man. And maybe that was just because he had offered to protect him on the night that they had met – Rhys would take that bet – but he couldn’t ever really be sure.

Maybe he felt safe with Jack. Maybe he was just drawn to him. If Rhys spent years and years, psycho-analyzing himself to figure the answers out he would come up with nothing.

All he could really be sure of, was the fact that he wanted to spend as much time in the older mans company as he could manage. And that was why he had decided to seek him out when he woke up in Jack’s hotel room without the man there, by his side. He walked to the up over bar, hoping to find him sitting there and drinking – maybe even flirting with Nisha or reprimanding his body double in a way that he thought came across as just a little bit too friendly – and he was sure that his double felt the same, judging by the way that he edged away from Jack whenever the two of them spoke.

He found Jack, leaning over the bar in hushed conversation with Moxxi. He looked agitated, even as far away as Rhys was, he could easily see him grinding his teeth, he could very easily see how tense his body language looked and he could also note the way that Jack’s hands were holding onto the bar so tightly that his knuckles were white. He frowned at that, he was sure that that wasn’t a good sign.

Moxxi, on the other hand, looked cool as a cucumber. She had her hand on her hip and a smug little smile on her face. Her brows were knit and her eyes were narrowed just ever so slightly as she looked down her nose at Jack. Rhys wondered what they were talking about and he got his answer in the moments that he walked up to them. They didn’t notice him as he got close enough to hear what the two of them were arguing about. Rhys felt like he was being a bit intrusive, but his morbid curiosity got the best of him as he edged closer to the two of them.

Jack huffed at Moxxi, “Fucking hell, Mox.” He snapped at her, looking dangerously close to bearing his teeth in rage at her. On some level, he must have known that it would be an impotent gesture – so he smartly decided not to. “I’m not out to screw you in any way.” He said, his voice filled with contempt for her. “Can’t you just trust me?” He asked.

Moxxi scoffed, “Can I just trust you?” She parroted back, her voice mocking and cruel. Rhys frowned at that. “Can I trust you. What kind of question is that? Of course I can’t trust you!” She snapped, her voice getting loud enough to match Jack’s. It was clear that he was getting under her skin… and, judging by Jack’s agitated expression the feeling was mutual. “After what you did to me.” Her words carried weight, even without Rhys knowing what the context behind them was.

“I thought I made up for that.” It wasn’t phrased as question. His brows furrowed, like he was trying to pretend to be confused by what she had said. “Even if I fucking hadn’t made it up to you, over a thousand times, by now – What I’m doing is gonna save your life, whether you like me or not. What else do you want from me?” He asked, obviously not expecting any sort of answer or response to come out of her. “Blood?” His words became more and more clipped with every word that he spoke, until he was practically hissing at the end of his sentence.

“Yes.” She said. “I want blood. You blew up my Under-dome, Jack! Do you know how much that set me back?” She asked rhetorically. “And you could have killed me.” She added, as if she had conveniently forgotten about the danger that he had put her in.

“Oh, give me a break. You would have been fine.” Jack replied dismissively. “Besides, you fucking started that!” He snapped, pointing his finger at her as if he was accusing her of a horrible crime. Maybe it was, truthfully, Rhys didn’t have enough context to know. “You started all of that.” He told her, his voice icy and detached.

“I didn’t start anything!” She shouted back, “You just started accusing me of cheating on you!”

“Yeah, and you were!” He hissed, “I knew you were! I had fucking proof. I’m not fucking crazy, Moxxi, you did this to yourself. You know I don’t abide by traitors.” He seethed at her, his voice dark and low. Moxxi opened her mouth, about to retort when Rhys finally decided to push down his morbid curiosity down and intervene before things got violent. Jack and Moxxi were supposed to be allies, for the greater good of Elpis – it would probably be better if they didn’t end up killing each other before they could all take down Zarpedon together.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, looking between the two of them. Neither of them seemed willing to answer, least of all Moxxi – who had barely spoken two sentences to him the entire time that he had been on Elpis, which was fine, even if he thought it was a little rude. Then he sighed and turned his attention entirely to Jack, with concern in his eyes. “Jack?” He asked, looking over at the older man.

Moxxi was the first to say something, “No.” She soothed, a smile spread across her face – a fake one, perhaps, but Rhys could never tell when it came to that sort of thing. “Me and Jack just had a little…” She pursed her lips, as if in thought. “Business disagreement.” Even Rhys could hear the contempt for Jack oozing out of her when she spoke. He didn’t understand it, maybe he didn’t want to.

Jack looked over at Rhys, his eyes widened just a fraction at the sight of the younger. Then, in record time, he composed himself and smiled at the siren. “Hey pumpkin!” He greeted, his voice projecting just a little too loudly. “What are you doing?” He asked, straining to be casual about it.

Rhys bit his lip and looked downcast. “I was just…” He trailed off, stopping himself as he realized that if he told the whole truth that he would come across as needy. God forbid he ever come across as needy. “I wondered where you went off to.” He explained shortly. Jack responded first by walking up to him, grabbing his hips tight and pulling them to his own, and kissing him.

When he finally let Rhys go, the siren looked dazed and delighted by the attention that he had received, his knees were weak and he melted into the older man’s touch. “Shouldn’t leave you alone for too long, should I? You got so nervous without me there, huh.” He murmured in his ear, “That’s cute.” Rhys could feel Jack smiling against his skin for a moment, before he pulled away. Rhys pouted at what he had said and then shook his head in response to it. Jack just smiled and teased Rhys’ lower lip with his thumb. “Really, kitten, you’re adorable.” He added, his voice sweet and complimentary.

“Stop saying that.” Rhys replied quietly, looking down at the floor like he was ashamed of himself, for reasons that Jack would never be able to even begin to comprehend. “It’s not true.” He explained, his voice low as a mumble. Jack might have not heard him, if they weren’t so close together.

He couldn’t explain it to anyone else, no one would ever understand – it was impossible for him to explain to anyone other than himself, least of all to Jack who had treated him like he was better than the lower than dirt murderer that he always felt like and was sure that would always feel like – but he didn’t feel like he was worth being complimented in any way. All of the things that Jack told him that he was; cute, pretty, sweet, anything like that… it just seemed wrong to him.

In Rhys’ mind he was a monster and he thought that he should be treated like one. It was only fair after all, after every horrible thing that he did he deserved to be shunned and ostracized. A part of him was confuse and weary of the fact that Jack seemed to want to offer him something better – the little kindnesses that the older man bestowed upon him were both a blessing and a curse.

Rhys felt so selfish for preening at the praise. It wasn’t right, he knew that it wasn’t right and yet, he couldn’t help but unconsciously push for Jack to compliment, praise and love him more all the while he unconsciously pushed against it. Because it was wrong. Because he didn’t deserve it.

“What’s not true?” He asked, looking at the siren with amusement in his gaze. “Don’t tell me that you’re thinking that you’re not the cutest little siren in all the seven galaxies?” He asked facetiously and rhetorically. “You can’t expect me to believe that, Rhysie, you’re just too cute for me to believe that you’re not at least a little conscious of it.” He shook his head, as if he was in disbelief about that.

Rhys nodded at first, but then he faltered. “It’s just-” He frowned as he thought better of what he was about to say, “You know what, never mind.” He said after a moment of quiet contemplation. “It doesn’t matter.” He smiled, though he was sure that Jack could tell that it was fake. He had never been a good liar and he doubted that he would ever be able to learn to be one.

Jack grabbed Rhys, throwing an arm around the younger mans waist and pulling him in tight. “Come on, let’s get out of here, yeah?” He said, speaking low enough that only the two of them could hear what he had said. Rhys smiled, his face alight at the attention he was receiving as he allowed Jack to whisk him away to somewhere nice and private.

* * *

Jack took Rhys far, far away from the Up Over Bar. He had taken Rhys out of the town of Concordia and into the wilds of Elpis, they had driven for nearly half an hour before they reached the destination that Jack had planned to take him. Then he took him to a little, locked down shack. The two of them walked into the place, after Jack unlocked the complex looking security system.

Jack activated the oxygen tank and took off his Oz Kit and then he gestured Rhys to stand in front of him. Rhys did as he was told and allowed Jack to take of Rhys’ Oz kit for him. The siren smiled and let out a short laugh as he looked around the one room house. It was well furnished with a bed, a table and some chairs, as well as a shelf filled to the brim with books. There was a small kitchen on one side of the room, as well as a spartan looking bathroom. It looked like a nice little hideout. “What is this place?” Rhys asked, as he traced the spine of one of the older books on the shelf.

“Private.” Jack replied in a teasing manner, looking back at Rhys with a wild eyed looking grin. Rhys pouted at that and he decided to give him a break and answer him honestly, “Eh, you know, I spent some time on Elpis while I was overseeing Helios being built. Decided that I wanted a little place where I could be by myself. So I built this place and locked it up so that none of the scavs would succeed when they try to break into the place.

“Oh.” Rhys exclaimed, “I like it. I mean, it’s nice, right?” He complimented, a genuine smile spread across his face.

“Well, I’m glad that I got your approval.” Jack teased in reply, ruffling Rhys’ hair – much to the sirens dismay. Jack sat down at the edge of the little bed and gestured for Rhys to sit by him. Rhys did as he was told and in moments they were sitting knee to knee on the creaky little bed. Jack smiled at Rhys gratefully, “Thanks for saving my ass back there, kitten.” He said, “Dunno what I would have done if you hadn’t interrupted us.”

“Do you two have some kind of history?” Rhys asked and, when Jack let out a loud laugh, a tiny frown that was more like a pout spread across his face. “I’m serious.” He said, as firmly as he could manage.

Jack looked over at Rhys, his gaze was exploratory and… intense. “We used to date.” He explained as he pulled out a tin that reminded Rhys of a cigarette box. He pulled out a bag that was filled with some strange looking rocks. “Back when I was still a bottom feeder at Hyperion. She left her…husband? To be with me.” He explained, “It was nice at first but, you know. She’s hot and I’m hot, what’s there not to love? But, ah, it didn’t last for long.”

Rhys hummed understandingly, “Wouldn’t that make her a little old for you?” He asked. There wasn’t much malice in his voice, just a sort of naive curiosity.

“I’m kind of old for you.” Jack countered, “But that’s not gonna fucking stop me.” Rhys looked down and noticed Jacks hand creeping up his thigh. It stopped right at his hip to squeeze at the supple flesh there appreciatively. “I don’t think that anything could stop me at this point, though.”

Rhys flushed and smiled shyly. He decided to ignore the more… flattering things that Jack said, even though he quite liked hearing him say them to Rhys. “I guess that you’re right about that. I, I didn’t really think about it when I said that.” He said, nearly ducking his head in shame. “Sorry?” It came across like a question, because he wasn’t sure how he should react. He never knew how to act around Jack, all his mental faculties felt like they worked a little less well. The best that he could hope for was that he didn’t come across as stupid when the two of them spoke.

“Nah, don’t be.” Jack told him, “Doesn’t matter anyways, all that shits in the past. I don’t give a fuck about balloon tits anymore. Fuck her.” He said, his voice dripping with venom for her. It was obvious to Rhys that there was much more bad blood between the two of them than Jack would ever divulge.

Rhys hummed noncommittally at that and eyed the little bag of drugs. “What is that?” He asked, leaning over to examine the powder that Jack was cutting up and crushing into a fine powder.

“Moon dust.” Jack replied as he packed what looked like an incredibly thin cigar to Rhys up with the teal colored drug. He slid the spliff between his lips, “It’s great for a wind down,” He said, his voice muffled by it as he started to light it up. He took a drag off of it, taking the sweet smoke into his lungs. He was about to take another drag, but then he noticed Rhys looking at him with those curious, innocent brown eyes again. “What?” He asked, looking at the siren in a bemused sort of way. “What’re you starin’ at, cupcake?” He asked, though he was sure that he knew the answer.

“How do you…” He trailed off, frowned and then rephrased. Jack waited, as patiently as he could manage, for him to continue. “Doesn’t that make you choke?” He asked, and when Jack snorted and looked at him like he was precious. “How do you inhale that without choking, I mean?”

“Oh, that’s the easy part. Why don’t I just show you?” He purred. Rhys was nervous enough that he started to edge away from the older man, but Jack didn’t let him get very far. The next thing that he knew, Jack was kissing his open mouth, forcing him to breath in the smoke and fumes from it. Rhys was dazed when Jack pulled away and took another drag, only to grab Rhys again and kiss him again and again, so that the smoke transferred between them. When Jack finally let him off, Rhys was dizzy and coughing from the feeling of it.

“How does it feel?” Jack asked, holding onto Rhys’ face as he spoke to the younger man. Prettily colored smoke swirled around the two of them as he spoke. “You feel any different?” He asked, to clarify. Rhys frowned, his face screwed up with a confused expression. He opened his mouth and then closed it.

“No, I don’t think-” Rhys started to say and then he slumped down, melting into Jack’s arms. “Oh. Wow…” He exclaimed, much to the older man’s delight. “That’s… it feels… wow.” He slurred and pressed his cheek against Jack’s chest. A dopey smile spread across his face and he let out a few giggles and then started to hum in contentment.

Jack pulled Rhys in closer and rubbed his back comfortingly, “That good, huh?” He cooed. Rhys nodded and hummed affirmatively. Jack pulled Rhys fully into his arms, allowing the siren to melt against him. “Good, that’s good, baby. Real good.” He hummed in Rhys’ ear. “You know, I see how you are Rhysie.” He said, his voice low and gentle. “You are wound up so fucking _tight_ , Rhysie. The first time that I saw you I just knew that you’ve been needing to have a wind down for a long time.”

Rhys hummed quietly in response to that while Jack kept on murmuring praises and sweet nothings in his ear, telling him what a good boy he was. Telling him how precious that he was. Telling him how close Jack felt to him, even though they had just met a few weeks ago. Telling him how much he adored him. Telling him how pretty he was. Telling him how cute he was. Every word that Jack told him made Rhys melt just a bit more. And Jack had been praising him so much – and so effectively – that he was practically a siren shaped puddle in minutes.

It didn’t take long for Rhys and Jack to sober up a little. Rhys still felt like melting against Jack – he was more relaxed than he had been for years, the last time he felt so at ease it was before he had started puberty – but his head was a little more clear and he felt just a bit more present and in the moment. Jack looked down at the siren, who was currently laying in his arms on his back, with a smug little smile spread across his face. “What?” Rhys asked, looking up at the older man innocently.

Jack responded first by taking the younger mans face in his hand. “You just look so cute and relaxed in my lap. You look more at ease than I think I’ve ever seen.” He hummed down to him. Rhys nodded and leaned into his hand. “

Rhys pursed his lips. “Drugs help I guess.” He agreed with tiny smile on his face. “I’m too-” He let out a little snort as he broke down into giggles. “I’m a little too stupid to be afraid right now.” He explained, all the while still laughing.

Jack looked him over, “You know…” He said as he played with the sirens hair. “If I were a different kind of man, I think I would take one look at you, grab you by the waist and throw you underneath me so I can take whatever I want from you." He grinned in a vicious sort of way.

Rhys let out a short giggle at that. “Well, then I guess that that would make two firsts tonight.” He replied, mostly in a teasing and friendly manner. Jack looked at him with some confusion, his hand stilling at Rhys’ hip. “Well, I’ve never done drugs and I’ve never…” Rhys trailed off and then scrunched up his face in thought. He turned to Jack, “I don’t know. Does it count as sex if you didn’t want to?” He asked, looking at Jack with a sadness held behind his eyes. He hoped that it didn’t count and he was sure that Jack saw through him.

“No, doesn’t count.” Jack assured him, speaking before Rhys could start to spiral down, because of all of the dark thoughts that he had about himself. He was sure that Jack would never know how grateful he was for that.

“Oh, good.” Rhys said, his voice soft as he took to nodding shakily at the older man – his voice trembled just a little bit. “Then I’ve never had sex before.” He answered quietly. Jack looked at him with a darkness in his gaze, a look that was filled with lust and a possessiveness that Rhys was a little too naive to comprehend. Rhys didn’t exactly feel uncomfortable but there was a strange feeling that went down his spine. He couldn’t quite describe what it was. Like little sparks, or maybe it was like a tingle that set his nerves on fire. He wondered if Jack would want him, if he would want to take him.

The thought was troubling to Rhys. It was also a little too intriguing for him to not dwell on. Jack seemed to be able to read his thoughts, because the next thing he knew, the older man was incestuously close to him – the two of them were so close that their noses were just barely touching. Jack moved in and kissed him. “Then maybe I should fuck you…” He muttered, then he dipped down to kiss his neck and jaw. Rhys instinctively wrapped his arms around the older man, lavishing in the attention that he was receiving. “You want me to?” He asked, his voice low and salacious. It was clear what Jack wanted, but he wanted the sirens’ consent before he did anything.

Rhys pulled away just a bit, “Um, I want-” He faltered, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he spoke. “I want you to, um, if you want to at least… but can you go slow?” He asked, twiddling with his fingers a bit. A part of him, a very small part but one that was large enough to make him worry, was fearful that Jack would show some dark and cruel part of himself and he would hold Rhys down and take whatever he wanted from him like… like…

He shook his head and let out a little whimper. “Please.” He said, hoping that his desperation didn’t come across as clearly and obviously as he worried that it did. Jack leaned in and kissed him, just a delicate brush of their lips. He pulled back and held Rhys’ cheek in his hand. “Of course.” He said, his tone amenable. “We can do whatever you want.” He added. Rhys beamed up at him with a smile as he was gently pushed down on to the bed. Rhys let out a little squeak as he was pushed, but smiled as Jack moved his hands up above his head. “But I want you to do one thing for me. No matter what you do keep those there for me, baby. Yeah, just like that.” Jack murmured to him. “Good boy.” He praised.

Then, Jack sat himself down next to Rhys and positioned his body so that he laying comfortably on his side. He moved slowly as he rolled up the sirens shirt, pulling it up bit by bit until it was rolled up by his shoulders. Jacks’ fingers gently traced the line of the long healed, but still present, horizontal scars that spanned across his chest. “These are nice…when did you get these?” He asked, all the while he gently pet at the younger mans skin.

“Um, couple years back.” Rhys replied, his voice squeaky and tight. “For my eighteenth birthday.” He smiled fondly at the memory. He had waited so long, saved so much money and had been made to jump through so many hoops in order to secure a date. Once he had walked out of the clinic, he felt like a whole new man. That was more than worth every penny that he had scrimped and saved for it. Jack’s hand brushed against his stomach and he took a sharp, shocked, intake of breath.

Jack smiled at that, “Ticklish?” He asked. Rhys nodded and giggled as his thumb stroked in circles against his abdomen. He repeated that motion a couple more times and each time that he did, Rhys was left in another fit of giggles. Jack thought it was cute and he said as much. Then his hand moved lower towards his belt. He undid his belt from his pants and tossed it to the floor, giving his pants, shoes and underwear the same treatment. Soon, Rhys found himself laid bare and nude for a still clothed Jack. He blushed and looked away from the older man. Jack smiled gently at him and pressed his lips to Rhys own. “You’re gorgeous, Rhysie.” He murmured, after he pulled back. “Absolutely lovely.”

Jack kissed down the line of his stomach. His hands moved to tease and play with the sirens swollen clit, he gently nudged Rhys’ folds apart with his fingers. He let out a squeak as Jack circled his clit with his tongue. He nearly backed away, but Jack stilled him with a hand on his hip. “Sensitive?” He asked, not expecting much of an answer out of the siren. His fingers teased against his entrance as he spoke.

“Y-yeah…” Rhys admitted, his voice still delicate and quiet. “I, I guess I am.” Jack pulled up momentarily, to ruffle his hair and call him cute again, before he dove back down. He slid one of his fingers inside of Rhys, easing it in slowly, as he mouthed around (but not directly on) Rhys’ clit. Rhys threw his head back and his arm fell over his face as moans tumbled out of his mouth in response to all of the attention that he was receiving. One finger quickly turned into two, Jack efficiently stretched him open with his thick digits, scissoring them and fucking them in and out of the younger mans’ cunt.

It wasn’t long until Rhys came with a quiet moan of Jacks’ name. He smiled down at Jack with a dazed expression. He felt so good, so happy. Jack murmured some praise to the siren. Rhys loved the praise, loved how warm it made him feel when Jack told him that he was a good boy, that he was so pretty, that he was so sweet. Rhys was sure he could live on that praise alone.

“You wanna keep going?” He asked. Rhys nodded shakily and a grin spread across the older mans’ face. “Good, good.” He hummed and gave him one more kiss before he pulled back. Rhys squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on the way everything hit his ears and the way that Jacks’ hands felt on his body. He wasn’t waiting for more than a moment before he heard Jack’s pants unzip and something thick and hot pushing inside of him. Rhys’ mouth fell open and he let out a short, little cry at the feeling.

Jack grabbed Rhys hips and pulled him up so that they were lined up against each other. Rhys instinctively wrapped his legs around the older mans’ hips, unconsciously drawing him in closer as he did so. Jack thrust his cock in Rhys, s l o w l y. In fact, his movements were slow and so teasing, that Rhys was bucking and whimpering, scratching at his back with his nails in an unconscious effort to get him to pick up the pace. Jack didn’t like the idea of Rhys even thinking that he could come close to calling the shots here and decided to set that to rights.

He pulled out of Rhys for just a moment, eliciting a mournful little whimper out of the siren as he did so, then he grabbed Rhys again and balanced him so that he was practically sitting on his lap. He thrust himself deep inside of the siren, ignoring the sharp cry that he let out. He held on tight to Rhys’ hips, his fingers digging into his skin so harshly that he was sure to leave Rhys with little scratches and finger shaped bruises in the morning. “Hold onto me.” He demanded and Rhys quickly did as he was told.

Rhys wrapped his arms around Jacks neck and held onto him as tightly as he could without causing the older man any sort of harm. Jack set a rough pace with him, much rougher than he had expected. Rhys whimpered and lay his head on Jack’s shoulder as the older man thrust in and out of him, making him feel a little like a rag doll, with how much he was being jostled around.

He leaned in and nipped at the sirens ear. “You know…” He mumbled, “Some day I want to tie you down, force your legs wide open and make you come over and over again…” His voice was low and filled with lust. Rhys was blushing all the way down to his chest, at all the filthy things that Jack was saying to him. “I wish you could see your face, baby, you look so fucking lovely when you come.” He smacked the sirens’ ass in a playful sort of way. “And then… then I’ll fuck you and I’ll fuck you so hard that you forget your own name, once I’m done with you, you’ll be bruised and sore for days. One day I’ll do all to you. But that’s not today, kitten, today I wanna be nice.” He could feel Jack smiling that vicious smile against Rhys’ skin as shivers went down the sirens spine.

Then Rhys was pushed back down, his legs spread wide again as Jack lay over him, fucking him with hard, slow and deep thrusts. He was entirely helpless to the older mans’ whims. All he could do was moan and mumble Jack’s name, over and over again as if it was a prayer on his lips. By the time that Jack came inside of him, Rhys’ head felt fuzzy and empty – his brain was filled to the brim with all the happy chemicals. He looked at Jack with a love struck expression spread across his face as the older man cleaned the both of them up.

The minute that Jack returned to Rhys, he scooped the younger man up in his arms and held him tightly, much to the sirens delight. He loved the attention that Jack seemed so willing to dole out to him. It made him feel safe and loved. He was insatiable for more of it. “How was that for your first time?” Jack asked, his voice gentle and sweet while he stroked the younger mans back to sooth him. Rhys nodded and mumbled some incoherent nonsense in reply, he was so happy and so satisfied with how Jack had treated him that he could barely even think in coherent sentences – let alone speak in them. Jack chuckled in reply, “Okay, I’ll take that a yes.” He said, his tone amused.

Rhys fell asleep quickly and Jack didn’t blame him. He had put the siren through a lot of firsts in just the last few hours alone. He lay Rhys down on the bed, at first the siren whined at the loss, but in moments he was back in a deep sleep. Jack’s hands slid up and down Rhys’ body as the siren slept, on his stomach next to him. Rhys barely stirred, mumbling the older mans’ name as he did so. “I’m still here, Rhysie. I’ll always be here. Just get some rest. That’s an order, babe.” Jack murmured to him in a strangely soothing sort of way and, as if doing what Jack told him was what he was built to do, Rhys quieted down and fell back to sleep. Jack smiled gently and kissed the top of the sirens head.

He pulled back, looking down with contentment at the sight of the siren below him – Rhys had been a mess when he first found him, all tears and heavy anxiety, but Jack had been working to bring him out of his shell and put him in a place where he and Jack were close and the siren would be reliant on him for love, protection, security... **everything**. Everything that he wanted and had hoped for. He could remake the whole universe in his image, with that kind of power at his hand. 

All it would take for him to have Rhys glued to his side – beautiful, incredibly obedient and loyal to him and only to him – was some training, well placed praise and adoration and a hell of a lot of patience. He frowned. Patience was the biggest draw back to his plan. Jack knew that he was not a man that was known for his patience, but he would have to learn it if he wanted to get Rhys where he wanted him. If he pulled this off, he could have two sirens under his thumb. If he could pull that off, he could have everything – the whole fucking universe quaking at his feet.


	5. Chapter 5

Rhys had come to find out that Jack would make good on the offer to take care of him and help him. As soon as Jack got access to Helios, he had taken Rhys along to the fast travel and dragged him to his office. Rhys would be safe there, Jack had told him, Helios would be safer than Elpis and Jack had a place for him to hide and be safe.

Even just walking into the room for the first time, Rhys could tell that Jack had built his office specifically for his own purposes. Everything about the place screamed ‘Jack’, his personal tastes had been at the forefront when it came to designing the place. Rhys didn’t blame him for that, if he had the power to design an entire space station, he would probably put his interests at the forefront.

Rhys wandered around the place with some interest, checking out the bookshelves filled with diatribes on programming and other books like that, he walked to the desk – it was mostly just a mess of papers and echo recordings on top of it. The only notable thing was a photo frame sitting up in one conspicuously clean corner. “Who is this?” He asked, pointing towards the picture, which showed a dark haired little girl smiling and holding her fingers up to make a peace symbol.

Jack frowned and slammed the framed down, fixing Rhys with a disapproving look. Rhys took a step away from him, suddenly frightened of what Jack’s retribution for him might be. Almost immediately Jack realized how he looked and quickly eased up, gentling his approach with the siren. “I-” He sighed, “I didn’t mean to blow up at you. It’s just that that’s personal. I don’t like to talk about her.” He explained, “But you know…maybe one day I’ll tell you.” He added, “But not now, not tonight.”

“Okay…” Rhys mumbled apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep.” He added, playing nervously with his hands as he spoke.

“It’s alright.” Jack replied in a reassuring sort of way. “Nisha did the same thing last time I met her in here, and I think I got even more angry with her. It’s just one of those things that gets under my skin. I couldn’t tell you why.” He explained, speaking off the cuff.

 _‘Oh. Right’_ , Rhys thought, ‘ _Nisha_.’ Rhys didn’t have any issues with Jack’s girlfriend – and as far as he knew, she didn’t have any issues with Rhys, she liked him well enough and it wasn’t like she and Jack were exclusive by anyone’s definition – but he didn’t quite understand where exactly he fit in between them. He didn’t know what he and Jack were supposed to be to one another. Sure, Jack liked to have him around and wanted to help him control his abilities – maybe that made them friends, he thought pleasantly. Truthfully, he would like it if they were friends.

But friends, as far as Rhys knew, didn’t call their friends sweetheart, baby or kitten. Friends didn’t make their friends sit on their lap while they had drinks at Moxxi’s bar. Friends didn’t kiss each other, strip each other down, sleep with each other and – sometimes, when Rhys was feeling particularly needy and Jack was feeling particularly generous – fall asleep holding each other.

At least… as far as Rhys knew that wasn’t how most friendships worked. So he didn’t know what Jack was to him. Or more importantly, what he was to Jack. Rhys had had quite a bit of experience when it came to suffering hardship and tragedy, he knew enough about being hurt, having people die around him. He was an expert in misery and defeat. He could teach classes on the most unhealthy ways to cope with that kind of trauma.

But when it came to sex or romance or, hell, even friendships? He was totally at a loss. No one had ever offered him anything like that before. So Rhys found the way that Jack treated him – all of the affection, all of the kisses and touches – entirely confusing. The only thing he really understood about it was that Jack gave him always left him wanting more and more until he was absolutely insatiable for it.

Maybe he just scratched an itch that Jack had. Nisha didn’t seem like the type that was ready and willing to go along with the older mans’ whims in the way that Rhys was so willing to do. Maybe he just liked having a powerful creature laying underneath him, willingly spreading himself bare for Jack’s pleasure. Jack looked at Rhys, “… what?” He said, “What are you staring at, kitten?” He asked, an amused grin spreading across his face as he spoke. “What, do I have somethin’ on my face?” He added, teasingly circling his face with a wave of his palm.

Rhys instantaneously lowered his gaze and took to staring at his hands. “N-no you don’t. It’s, um, it’s nothing…” He mumbled, biting his lip and blushing. “Really. I promise.” He added pleadingly as if he was begging Jack to just drop it without needing to say those words out loud.

Jack hummed, “Come along, Rhysie, I got something for ya.” He said and then gestured him forward. Jack moved underneath his desk and pressed a button. The siren was startled when it appeared that the wall opened up and revealed a secret, cozy looking room. “Bonus of being the one that designed this place is that I got a lot of hiding spots all over the station.” He explained, in response to Rhys’ astonished looking expression.

“Come along, kitten.” He ordered and Rhys was quick to scamper along beside him. The room looked like a makeshift bedroom with a large, comfortable looking bed, a desk that was topped with a computer, a chair and a set of drawers in it, a large echo device and a little cooler that was filled with food and drinks on top of it. He noticed a small room connected to it, probably a bathroom. It had everything in it that he might need to survive somewhat comfortably while he sheltered in place. “It’s pretty nice, right?” He asked, “I set this place up so I have somewhere to go and relax when I’m working too much. It also doubles as a panic room, which will be good for you.” He explained.

Rhys smiled, “Yeah, I guess it will be.” He chirped in reply. “This plays looks… pretty cozy.” He added, his voice light and complimentary.

“It is. I’ve made sure of that. Now sit down on the bed for me.” Jack demanded and Rhys was quick to do as he was told. Jack rustled through some of the drawers until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a small lock box, “Ah-hah! Here it is.” He said proudly to himself. “I built this a while back… it’s experimental, but it should work perfectly on you.” He said, “If it doesn’t… well, we’ll figure out somethin’ else. I won’t hang you out to dry, Rhysie.” He promised darkly.

“What is it?” Rhys asked as he peered at the box. Jack payed him no mind as he unlocked it and pulled it out. He made sure that Rhys didn’t get a peek at it, which gave the siren the impression that it was a surprise. Jack moved to the bed and sat down with his legs wide, before he grabbed Rhys around the waist and pulled him onto his lap.

“Hold still and tilt your head back for me, pumpkin.” Jack murmured into his ear, pressing a few light kisses over the shell of his ear. Rhys did as he was told and leaned his head back against Jack’s shoulder. He let out a gasp, of shock or pleasure even he couldn’t be sure, when he felt a ring of cool metal wrap around his throat. “Relax…” Jack urged him quietly.

Rhys hummed in agreement and did as he was told, keeping his body still yet relaxed so he didn’t end up tensing so much that he would cramp up and jump away from the older man. The collar snapped around his throat, leaving just enough breathing room for him to be comfortable while he wore it.

“It’s not too tight, is it?” Jack mumbled to him as he finished off tightening the bolts. He pulled back and admired his handiwork while Rhys squirmed off of his lap and turned around. The collar was thin, only two inches wide, but heavy around Rhys’ throat. Jack thought that it looked lovely on him. “Doesn’t hurt your breathing or make your back hurt, nothing like that?” He added, his voice convincingly laden with concern. “I don’t want to hurt you.” He added seriously – Rhys believed him when he said that. Jack had never done anything to make him believe that he had anything but Rhys’ best interests in mind.

“No it’s…” Rhys smiled, “It feels nice. Good. It doesn’t hurt to breath. And it’s um… it’s heavy.” He flushed, like he had said something dirty. Though, maybe it should have been classified as something dirty, with how good it made him feel.

Jack hummed in response to that, “Heavy in a good way or heavy in a bad way?” He asked as he absentmindedly traced the outline of the collar. There was appreciation in his gaze, like Rhys looked like an expensive treasure that he would like decorating his office one day when he was running Hyperion.

“Heavy in a good way.” Rhys affirmed with a short nod. He liked the collar, how it felt. For a while, Rhys had relished in the idea that he belonged to Jack. His hand braced around the back of his neck, touching the collar with an unconscious sort of reverence. “I don’t know how to explain it. I guess I just really like how it makes me feel?” He guessed. “It feels right and good.”

Jack hummed understandingly, “I think I understand what you like about it.” He said, his voice was low like he was purring – his voice had butterflies blossoming in Rhys’ stomach. Usually when he spoke to Rhys like that, he would end up naked – or nearly naked – with his legs spread underneath him while he allowed Jack to take whatever he wanted from him.

“You do?” Rhys asked looking at Jack with a mixture of curiosity and wariness in his gaze. “What do you… what do you think it is that’s so appealing to me?” He asked bashfully. Jack seemed to understand these sort of things much better than he ever could. Saying that he had more experience than Rhys was putting it lightly.

“Yeah…” Jack nodded, “You know what I think that it is?” He asked, leaning in a bit. “I think you like that collar because it means that you belong to me and you like the idea of being owned by me.” He said, nodding as a mean grin spread across his face. “Yeah, I’ve seen the way you react when I push you down, spank you or put my hands around your pretty little throat.” Rhys shuddered with pleasure at the sound of that, “I don’t know, did I peg you right?” He asked then laughed at his poor choice of words. “Ha! Peg you, no… I’ll be doing that later though.” He grinned viciously, for just a second, before it turned into something softer, something more sweet and understanding as he waited for Rhys to say his piece.

Rhys voice warbled as he tried to voice his thoughts, “Y-yeah…” He replied, “I th-think that you got that right…” He added with a shaky nod. He still felt so embarrassed about it. A part of him felt like what he thought of Jack was shameful in a way that he didn’t quite understand.

“I want to try something.” Jack replied, “How do you feel about that?” Rhys nodded in agreement and Jack grinned viciously as he pushed Rhys down on the bed. “Put your hands up over your head.” He demanded. Rhys nodded and locked his hands over his head, while Jack undid his belt and approached Rhys with it strung in his hands. “Keep still.” He added as he looped the belt around Rhys’ hands and secured them to the bed post.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Rhys asked, a little frightened but more than that he was simply curious as to what Jack had planned for him. Jack didn’t answer him at first and instead took to undressing him of his shoes, pants and underwear. Then he pushed Rhys’ shirt up so that most of his chest was on display, pert nipples peaking as they were chilled by the cool air. “J-jack…” He whined as he squirmed around, rubbing his thighs together anxiously. “What are you doing to me…?”

Jack shushed him and turned around. He rooted through his drawers and pulled out a soft looking length of cloth, some rope, and a few… other things that Rhys couldn’t see clearly because of how they were folded in his hands. Jack took one of the lengths of rope and used it to tie Rhys’ leg up to the one of the bed posts, spread wide and up over his head. The younger man was unresistant to him while he tied him up, but eyed Jack with confusion and wariness.

“What?” He asked, looking at Rhys’ wary expression with a put on of offense. “I thought you wanted me to own you, kitten?” He asked, mostly in a rhetorical fashion. Even while he spoke he grabbed Rhys’ other leg and tied it up to the other post and Rhys was still unresistant. “You know what being owned by me means? Being owned by me means that I’ll take care of you, I’ll protect you and keep you safe. But more than that… being owned by me means that I can have you whenever I want, wherever and however. Because you want that from me.” He growled possessively.

Rhys trembled at what the older man said that he wanted to do to him. A mixture of fear and pleasure coursed through him. If he gave Jack that… then Jack would be able to have everything. He could just take what he wanted from Rhys. Whenever and wherever he wanted. “I thought that you wanted that, Rhysie.” He added, brushing a few strands of Rhys’ hair out of his face. “I thought you asked for this.” His tone was a bit suspicious, like he thought that Rhys had lied to him about what he wanted.

“I do…” Rhys offered weakly, “At least I think I do.” He added even quieter. The predicament that he was in had his head swimming. Every time that he squirmed or moved around, it felt like the binds got tighter around his body. He couldn’t see Jack, but he could hear and feel him with added intensity. It was incredibly overwhelming and Rhys had no idea how he should feel about it.

“Well, you’re not acting like it.” Jack huffed and then he pulled back and teased the sirens’ nipple, eliciting a soft gasp out of him. “But if you want me to stop, we can stop.” He offered. “I’ll untie you and we can forget about all of this.” He motioned towards Rhys’ arms as if he was going to unlace them, then he looked Rhys in the eye. “Is that what you want?”

Rhys frowned, worry and panic about being abandoned overtook him. “No, you don’t need to stop. I – I want it.” He said, “I, I do want that. I want to be yours, in every way.” He hummed in an amenable sort of way. “Y-you can keep going.” He said meekly. “Please keep going. I want it.” He whimpered pleadingly. Only then was Jack satisfied. The next thing that Rhys knew, a blindfold was pushed over his eyes, blocking out his vision while the ropes made it so that he couldn’t move an inch.

All he could do was hear Jack’s voice and feel Jack’s hands on his body while he took whatever he wanted from Rhys. He didn’t have any other choice but to take what he was given. More than that, he didn’t really want to have a choice. He wanted to have that choice taken away from him. He wanted to be made to submit to the older man. “Yeah?” Jack goaded him, “Tell me how much you want it.” His voice was low and demanding. “Tell. Me. How. Much. You. Want. Me.” Every word that he spoke came out as its own weighty statement.

“I want it.” Rhys mumbled, his voice quiet and hesitant. “I want it bad.” And that was true, even though there was a part of him that was wary of how intense Jack was looking at him, how possessively he was talking to him, how roughly he was holding him. There was fear there too. And arousal, all of the strange feelings that he had had mixed together inside of him and left him in an incredibly strange head space. It was like he was flying high and spiraling down emotionally all at the same time. It was too much for Rhys to comprehend. “Please, want it, please.” Rhys whimpered desperately.

“Yeah?” Jack felt so close to him, it was like they were one person in two separate head spaces. The skin to skin contact between them left Rhys feeling dizzy and lightheaded. “How much do you want it?” Jack asked him, not taking his eyes off of Rhys while he touched and teased him. “How much do you want my cock kitten?” He cooed. “How bad do you want it?” He goaded the siren.

“I, I…” Rhys stuttered, his cheeks dusted pink. He looked away from Jack, as if he was ashamed of himself. Jack frowned in annoyance and grabbed Rhys by the chin, gently turning his face towards Jack, so that he was forced to look the older man in the eye. “I want it…a lot.” He mumbled.

That wasn’t good enough for Jack. Not yet at least. “Be sweet for me, baby.” Jack hummed, his voice low and husky. “Say, ‘yes, daddy.’ Be my special boy and say it just like that.” He urged as he teased and pulled at the sirens nipples. “Do you want my cock, kitten? You want me to fuck you hard and rough just like you deserve?” He hummed.

“Y-yes daddy.” He whined, his voice high and tight in his throat, while Jack teased his clit. He was so damn gentle about it that it drove Rhys crazy. He wanted more than Jack seemed to be willing to give him. “Please. Want your cock so much.” He pleaded. “Please, please, please.” He added, his voice sweet as sugar while he begged for the older man to ravage him.

Jack grinned in victory as he heard that, his hands teasing Rhys’ cunt even more, his fingers teasing inside of him. “Then let me give it to you.” He said. The next thing that Rhys knew, Jack had gone overdrive with touching him, teasing his clit and fucking his fingers in and out of him. He came so quick from the attention that it was almost embarrassing. The next thing that Rhys knew, Jack was lining his cock up to his entrance and he was slowly pushing inside of him.

Rhys let out a soft whimper as he was penetrated. At first, Jack thrust slowly inside of him and his fingers dug into the meat of his hips so hard that he was sure to leave little bruises on him when Jack was done with him. Rhys was sure that, if he hadn’t been tied up the way that he was, then he would have wrapped his legs around Jack’s hips so he could pull him in even closer.

Jack quickly picked up the pace, his thrusts getting rougher and faster by the moment. Rhys let out cries and whines, squirming as much as he could in the binds that he was in – which wasn’t much. In any case, Jack enjoyed watching him writhe and squirm around him. Jack got a little thrill out of every push, every trembling motion, every sigh and moan that he could get out of Rhys. He kept on going, fucking him roughly and possessively – marking Rhys as his to lay claim to in every way possible.

When Jack came, he came inside of him. Rhys felt warmth flooding his insides and he whimpered at the feeling of it. Jack sank down, holding the siren in place as he caught his breath. His cock was still deep inside of Rhys, keeping him split open and filled up. The siren closed his eyes as Jack’s arms wrapped around his body, pulling him in, closer and closer. It felt like they had laid there for hours, in that tight and comforting embrace, when Jack finally pulled out of him.

Jack untied Rhys’ legs first, because they had been suspended for so long that they were basically made of jelly at this point. He chuckled when they weakly fell flat onto the bed. Then he untied Rhys’ arms and undid the blindfold. Rhys looked at him with a dopey, love struck smile spread across his face. “That was…” Rhys trailed off, he couldn’t find the words. Jack’s hands moved up and down his thigh in a soothing sort of way, his hands were warm and big – having them on him made Rhys feel so good.

“Nice?” Jack guessed, eyeing Rhys with a grin spread across his face. Rhys mirrored Jack’s grin with his own shy smile. “Yeah…” Jack said, “You look like you had a great time. Just looking at you I knew that you’d be the perfect person to take what I want to give you.” He said, his voice smug like he was incredibly proud of himself for what he had done to the siren. Rhys nodded quietly in response to that.

It took him a moment or two to collect his thoughts and respond with words, and even then it was hard for him to put his thoughts out in a way that was coherent. “I didn’t expect that…” He frowned. “You made me feel so powerless. I’ve been powerless a lot. But I never liked it. It never… never felt good before. It was always something that I was forced to endure.” He explained, “But this time… it was different.” There was only one thing that was clear to Rhys about this. The one thing that he knew was that he trusted Jack. Maybe he shouldn’t have, maybe he shouldn’t be trusting anyone anymore – after everything that had already happened to him – but he did.

Jack chuckled and ruffled Rhys’ already messy hair, eliciting a mildly annoyed expression out of the siren as he did so. “So, does that mean that you liked it?” He asked, looking over Rhys’ wrecked body with interest. There was already the beginning of bruises, rope burns and other kinds of marks forming all over the siren’s body. The sight of the marks lit a cruel and possessive fire inside of Jack. He wanted to see Rhys bloody and bruised and begging him for more, with tears in his eyes.

Rhys nodded quickly before he pursed his lips. “Did you mean what you said?” He asked, “About owning me and taking whatever you wanted from me, whenever you wanted.” He clarified, his voice quiet and a little shaky with nerves. The idea of being so utterly subsumed by the older man – to be taken, conquered and roughly put in his place – was strangely thrilling to him.

Jack fixed him with a scrutinizing sort of look, “Maybe.” He replied, “Is that something that you’d want?” He asked. It wouldn’t be a far leap to do something like that, at least not in Jack’s eyes – Rhys had a collar wrapped around his throat. He looked at Jack like he was not only his hero or a superior, but like he was a god that Rhys wanted to worship. He hung onto every word that Jack said, was more than willing to do whatever the older man asked him to do.

Rhys blushed and looked away, “Maybe.” He admitted shyly.

Jack was about to say something else in response to that, when he heard a bang coming from outside his office. He cursed to himself before he quickly cleaned himself up. “I want you to stay here for now.” Jack explained, “Those lost legion jagoffs might be stupid, but they’re also really dangerous and you’re not really well seasoned for battle. I don’t want to put you at risk, even if you were, you’re too important for me to put you at risk like that.” He explained, his voice gentle and low. “But I’ll be back to check on you real soon. I promise you, Rhysie, I’ll be back for you.” Jack gave him one more sweet and slow kiss, before he was out the door again.

Rhys curled up on the bed, wrapping himself in the blankets. His hands dipped in between his legs as he fantasized about all of the things that Jack had done to him already and all of the things that he hoped that Jack would do to him in the future. Somewhere, deep inside of himself, Rhys realized that he was way in over his head, that Jack had his number. They both knew that Rhys was desperate for Jack to own him and take care of him. He was desperate for all of the safety and security that Jack had offered him and he would give anything to have it.

* * *

The next few nights for Rhys were lonely but ultimately very peaceful. Jack didn’t come around and visit as often as Rhys would like and he wasn’t able to come out of his hiding space because…well…

~~Because Jack had told him not to and he’d rather be caught dead than be caught disobeying the older man~~

No. Not because of \that\, that would be…ridiculous. It was simply for the reason that Rhys knew that it wasn’t safe for him out there. He wasn’t great in a fight and Jack wanted to him to be safe while the planet and space station were occupied by Lost Legion forces. So. Rhys waited. And waited. And waited some more for the violence to end. For him to be safe again. It was all that he could do.

By the third – or fourth… maybe **fifth** – day that he was trapped inside Jack’s hiding space Rhys had gotten used to the dull routine that he had created for himself. He woke up early, took a shower and took care of his other needs in the adjacent bathroom, dressed himself and then found himself something to occupy his time that day. He read books, played games, watched movies or TV shows on the Echo device that Jack had left for him and he played around with certain bits of outdated tech that lay around the room – he pulled things apart and put it all back together again.

He had even gotten an old, broken, security box that he was sure that Jack had looted from an Atlas facility up and working again. Well. It screamed a lot and Rhys wasn’t sure how to fix that without building it an entirely new voice box – which he didn’t have the parts to create, so he had given up on that. But it still did it’s intended job well if you could ignore all of the screaming. And he slept. He slept a whole lot.

In fact, he slept so much that he tended to wake up sore and with a crick in his neck and every time that he woke up he reminded himself that he needed to get used to sleeping with this thing wrapped around his neck. He didn’t think there was any way for him to unlock it in the first place, but even if there /were/ he still wouldn’t to use it. He didn’t trust himself to go without the collar wrapped around his neck. It kept him safe from others and, more importantly, it kept others safe \from him.\ And that was more important than _anything_ else. Especially his own discomfort.

Rhys had spent the whole morning laying in bed with his legs splayed up in the air while he played Tetris on an old, outdated Echo console that was seated in his lap. His mind had been blank and at peace for the morning, all he could focus on was the enjoyment that he got out of the simple, soviet style game. He was so enthralled with the game, in fact, that he didn’t notice that the hidden door that connected to Jacks’ office had opened for a few minutes – leaving his hiding space, and leaving him open and exposed to any outside attackers that might stumble upon him.

By the time that he did notice it happening, he was filled with panic. That…was not supposed to happen. Standing in the middle of the office was a large man all dressed up in riot gear. The soldier did not speak, but he narrowed his eyes at Rhys and charged forward – with intent to kill. Rhys squeaked as he locked eyes with the man and tried his best to hide from plain sight. Then he began to search around the room, hoping that there was some way for him to open and close the door from inside the hiding space. If there was, Rhys couldn’t find it.

Rhys was in big trouble now. He just felt lucky that there was only one of the lost legion soldiers in front of him. Because if there were more of them, he would be unequivocally in trouble, he would be a dead man walking. Rhys had seen what the lost legion did to civilians that they found on Helios. They hung them up against the wall and played shooting galley with their helpless bodies. He had seen the piles of bodies that littered parts of Helios, the thought that he would be thrown in one of those piles like a piece of trash after he was unceremoniously killed terrified him to his core. He shuddered at the thought of it and decided quickly that he wouldn’t let that happen to him.

He scrambled around on the floor and looked around for something that he could use to protect himself from the man and quickly found an old and beaten up shield. It was better than nothing. Rhys quickly put the shield on – hoping and praying that it was a good one, or that it was at the very least not a piece of junk – and hid himself under the desk. He was sure that it wouldn’t be enough if he couldn’t figure out some way for him to defend himself – a weapon or something, maybe a grenade if he was lucky.

Rhys scrambled around, looking at the mess under the desk – and there was a lot there, the whole place was a bit of organized chaos just like Jack himself was. After a bit of frantic, panicked searching Rhys finally found something to defend himself in the form of an old stun baton. It wasn’t much… but Rhys was glad that he could at least have something in his hands to defend himself. He stood up on shaky legs, the lost legion soldier started gunning for him as soon as he was in sight.

The lost legion soldier ran towards Rhys, shooting at him blindly, while Rhys skidded on the floor, keeping himself under cover while bullets ricocheted all over the place. The soldier really was trigger happy and Rhys hoped that he could use that to his advantage.

“Hi.” He said with a cheeky smile spread across his face. The man pulled his gun up to Rhys’ face and pulled the trigger… only to find that he was all out of ammo. Then Rhys struck out with his stun baton, right in the little gap in his uniform between his helmet and his collar. The armor was so thick and encasing, built with metal and silicone that the electricity stayed inside the suit, electrocuting the man from the inside out. It was a bit like capturing lightning in a bottle, rare and deadly for the one trapped inside _with_ the lightning. He pulled it out, deactivated it and slid it in his pocket after a moment of watching the soldier scream with morbid fascination in his eyes. It was like he was transfixed with the agony his enemy was experiencing.

He fell down – either dead or unconscious, Rhys couldn’t be bothered to care about the difference as long as he was out of his hair whatever happened was okay with him. Rhys let out a sigh of relief and made his way back to the office to hide and keep himself out of sight until Jack came back to see him. That plan fell apart in moments as he was cornered by three more of the lost legion soldiers with determined expressions spread across their fact that told Rhys they wouldn’t let up or leave him alone. “More of them?!” He snapped, throwing his hands up in exasperation as they ran up on him.

The first thing that Rhys tried to do was run away, but he was quickly caught by one of the men and thrown to the ground. He was struck with the club 5, 6, maybe even 7 times, while he cried and uselessly told him to stop. Even as he said the words, he knew that there was no point in them. He curled up in on himself, protecting his most vital organs while he was battered.

Then the man took a step back. Rhys rolled over onto his back as he pulled out something from his back pocket – a small and dainty looking pistol. Rhys would have laughed at it, had the situation not been so terrifying. The pistol was cocked and aimed at his head. Rhys winced as the first shot was absorbed by the shield. He didn’t have much time left before the shield was depleted and he would be maimed and then killed if he didn't do anything to stop it. He knew what he had to do. With the collar on, his abilities were incredibly muted. They came out in short, controlled bursts that were meant to hurt, but not kill. But even as blocked out as they were, they were still useful in some capacity. He squeezed his flesh hand, his tattoos gently flickering as they woke. He sighed and shot his hand out, aiming it towards the gun in the soldiers hand – ice shot out of him and ice coated the gun and the man’s hand.

The soldier screamed and wrenched back, he held his frozen arm with his other hand, in order to get the ice off. He was too distracted to see what Rhys was up to. Rhys took that opportunity to attack again with his stun baton, jamming it inside of his helmet. The soldier was down in a moment and Rhys practically jumped for joy at the victory he felt. That victory was short lived, however, because he soon found himself surrounded by lost legion in the moments that followed.

There were many of them, attacking Rhys on all sides. He tried his best – taking down more than a few of them on his own, but he soon found himself overwhelmed. It was a miracle that Jack happened to wander over to see Rhys at the time. “Jack!” Rhys cried, filled with relief at the sight of the man. “As you can see, I’m a little-” He gestured around vaguely, “Help?” He pleaded, as he dodged blows and shots from lost legion soldiers. Jack looked momentarily glad to see Rhys, until that expression devolved into one of agitation, as if he had just remembered the situation that they were in.

“Oh for the love of-” Jack cursed, looking around at all of the chaos that surrounded them. “What the hell happened here?!” He asked. “Why did you run out? I told you it was dangerous.” He said and then after half a second of thought, “How the _hell_ did you get out?” He asked.

“The door opened!” Rhys explained breathlessly as Jack quartered Rhys behind him and shot at the soldier in front of him until he finally went down. “I don’t know how, but it did and then…” Rhys made a helpless noise. “All this!” He exclaimed.

Jack sighed in aggravation, looking at Rhys with an incalculable expression spread across his face for just a moment before his attention was turned to the battle field. “Get under cover.” He demanded his voice oddly level, Rhys was quick to do what he was told and hid under one of the tables that littered the halls. There were only about a handful of lost legion soldiers left in the area, which was good for the both of them. Jack attacked each of the soldiers with a pistol that he usually kept holstered on his thigh and after some fighting – kicking, screaming, shooting and all the glory that battle entailed – the battle was easily won by Jack.

He returned to Rhys after a moment and pulled him out of his hiding spot. Rhys looked at him with a dazed expression, as if he was still processing everything that had happened. He wrapped his arms around Jack, seeking comfort that the older man was more than happy to provide. “It’s okay, Rhysie, I got ya.” He soothed quietly, stroking the siren’s back in a soothing manner.

Internally, Jack was gnashing his teeth thinking about what could have happened. About the worst case scenario. He didn’t like it. The idea that some kind of freak accident could lose him Rhys was dangerous and it drove him up the wall. Rhys stiffened in his arms as he noticed Jack’s agitation. He looked at the older man with a cautious expression spread across his face.

“He must have found the switch, thought they’d be too stupid but-” Jack growled in irritation, cutting himself off. “No. You know what? No. It’s fine, it’s **fiiiine**.” He said, “I’ll just have to figure out a way to hide the switch a little better next time so, ah, for now let’s just see to your hurts.” He smiled in a convincingly comforting fashion and pulled Rhys to his feet and led him back into the private room.

Jack sat Rhys down on the bed and then walked over to a panel that was hidden behind an old photo frame. He tapped on it to enunciate the point, before he pressed the button to close them inside the room again. “If this ever happens again – which it won’t and I’ll make fucking sure of that, but if it does, just press this and it should close right back up again.” Jack told him, turning just slightly so he could give Rhys a meaningful look as he spoke. “Alright?” He asked, to make sure that Rhys understood what he was talking about.

“A-alright.” Rhys affirmed, with a short, shaky nod. He barely held it together for the moments that Jack wasn’t at his side – but barely holding it together seemed to be good enough. After a moment or so, Jack moved to sit next to Rhys and folded the younger man in his arms. Rhys curled up against him, looking fragile and tiny in comparison to the older man. Rhys mumbled a few thank yous and grateful words that all came out jumbled together.

Jack decided to make a concerted effort to keep himself calm and gentle. With how shaken up Rhys looked, Jack knew that he needed a soft touch. He gently cupped Rhys’ face and brought it up so that he couldn’t hide from him while they spoke. “What happened out there?” He asked.

“I don’t know. One minute everything was fine and then the door opened and I… I tried to defend myself.” Rhys mumbled, “But there were so many of them and I didn’t have a gun… I don’t really know how to handle myself in that sort of situation.” He explained in between sniffles. “It was all just instinct.”

“Well. I think you did a pretty good job.” Jack told him, his voice gentle and complimentary. “You handled yourself well out there. Even if it was all just instincts, and I bet that it was, you’ve got real fucking good instincts.” He said.

“But not good enough.” Rhys scoffed, “If you hadn’t happened upon me then…” He frowned and buried his face in Jack’s chest, not wanting to think more on the worst case scenario than he already did. “I don’t know. It would have been really bad though.” He explained pitifully.

Jack pulled Rhys even closer to him, until the siren was curled up against him. “I guess that that means that I’ll just have to teach you how.” He explained, his voice low and intimate as he held the younger man in his arms. He stroked soothing circles in Rhys’ back, making him melt in moments. “By the end of the week, I’ll make sure that you know how to protect yourself with or without your powers.”

Rhys smiled at that and nodded shortly, “O-okay.” He said. “Sounds like a plan.” Jack grinned victoriously and kissed him all over his face, until Rhys was so giddy that he forgot everything that had happened only hours before. It was a _surprisingly_ effective strategy.


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn’t long until Jack decided to make good on his promise to teach Rhys how to protect himself. As soon as he was sure that he had a few hours of free – or at least, free-er – time to spend with the siren he took the opportunity and made his way back to his office. He opened up the secret room and quickly closed the room up again so they didn’t have to deal with any uninvited guests.

Jack could hear water running when he walked into the room, he could see steam coming out of the little bathroom and smell the sweet scent of soap. Rhys was taking a shower, so he sat down on the bed and waited – less than patiently – for him to be finished. Rhys came out, nearly ten minutes later, his skin flush and warm from the heat of the water, with a towel wrapped around his hips. “Hi.” He said breathlessly, with a tiny smile spread across his face. “I didn’t expect to see you so early.”

Jack responded by pulling out some clothes for Rhys and throwing them down on the bed, “Get dressed and ready pumpkin, we’ve got lots to do today.” He said shortly.

“Oh?” Rhys exclaimed quietly, before he quickly got himself as ready and presentable as he could in the span of five minutes. When Rhys returned only a few minutes later, dressed and ready with his hair still messily styled in damp curls. Jack grinned and pulled out a small pistol from his back pocket. Then Jack handed Rhys the gun, sliding it into the sirens hand and forcing him to hold it tight. “What’s this?” He asked, though he was worried that Jack might make fun of him for asking stupid questions.

He didn’t, much to Rhys’ relief. “It's a _gift_.” Jack answered, Rhys opened his mouth to ask another question but Jack cut him off. “Come along, kitten.” He directed, grabbing Rhys by the arm. “Where we’re going, you’re gonna need that.” He added, less than helpfully. Rhys sighed through his clenched teeth and allowed Jack to walk him out of the room and take him to a fast travel station.

They took it to Concordia. It was only when they were walking down the dirty streets of the town did Rhys finally bother to question the older man.“Wait!” He snapped, stopping dead in his tracks. Jack stopped too, though he seemed aggravated about it. He looked at Rhys with an annoyed expression spread across his face. “Where are we going?” Rhys asked as Jack dragged him along with a vice-like grip on his arm so that he was forced to walk alongside him.

“I told you already.” Jack said, “We’re gonna go out so I can show you how to use that beautiful piece I gave you.” He grinned back at that the siren and pulled him closer, “You like it, right?” He asked, and before Rhys could answer he continued on. “I knew you would, it’s a beauty! Top of the line Hyperion pistol.” He added in a gregarious and ostentatious fashion.

Rhys smiled, biting his lip to stifle any laughter that might eke out of him otherwise. Jack smiled at him fondly and put his hands on Rhys’ shoulders, squeezing them gently as he did so, “You ready to go out there, so I can show you what you can do?” He asked, his voice low and gentle. The way he spoke was incredibly reassuring to Rhys’ frayed nerves.

“I think so.” Rhys chirped and then he looked down at himself, as if to check that he was presentable enough to go out into the wild. He giggled nervously. “I guess that I’m ready.” He hummed and Jack shook his head, a chuckle slipping out of him. “What’s so funny?” He asked, eyebrows raised in confusion and a nervous grin spread across his face.

“Nothing, it’s just…” He grinned fondly, “You’re very cute for someone that’s got the power that you do.” He said, “You know I’ve met sirens before. You know, most of them…they’re like that woman Lilith.” He explained, “You know, powerful and strong and beautiful. Not saying that you aren’t but you come across more…” He paused as he struggled to find the words to express what he meant. He gently grabbed Rhys’ chin and pulled him a little closer. “You look so sweet. I want to protect you and ruin you and…I want to do so much to you.” He growled.

Rhys smiled, his face lighting up as the older man sweetly complimented him. “Oh… thank you.” He chirped quietly in response to the praise. Jack stroked his lower lip with his thumb and Rhys let out a soft whimper. He wanted more and Jack knew that. He pulled Rhys in for a kiss, one that was sweet and gentle, languid and slow moving. It was a perfect kiss. Rhys wanted it to last forever and by the time that it ended, the both of them where out of breath.

Jack grinned at Rhys, eyeing him up and down while the younger man leaned into his touch. Then Jack pulled away, with no warning. “But we’ll have to get to all of that later. For now, I need to show you how to protect yourself.”

Rhys nodded shortly, “I know. You can’t always be there to protect me. And my powers…” Rhys frowned as he trailed off, “It’s good that they’re muted but if something happens to me again like when those bandits attacked me, I won’t be able to protect myself with them.” He huffed, “So I don’t really have a choice in this. Not in any real way.” He shrugged. “That’s life I guess.”

Jack smiled, genuinely then. “Attaboy.” He said, “C’mon. It’s just a little farther. We’ll be there in minutes, as long as we get going now.” He directed and Rhys nodded, following along wherever the older man dragged him along obediently. And Jack wasn’t exaggerating either, after a couple of minutes of brisk walking they arrived at a cliff side with a few chairs and a trunk filled with guns and ammo. The cliff was facing a scav camp, but it was clear that they wouldn’t be able to see him until it was much too late.

“What’s all this?” Rhys asked, looking at the area that was set up in front of him.

“I set everything up so that you would have a safe space to do all this.” He explained, “I was gonna go and take you to a shooting galley, but the only one on Helios is locked up and…” He rolled his eyes and groaned, “Overrun. With Varkids.” He explained, “So obviously, we couldn’t go there.”

“Ew.” Rhys said, pulling a face. “Well… I’m glad that you didn’t take me there, then.” He said, his tone filled with gratefulness, a tiny smile spread across his lips.

“Yeah, ew, is right.” Jack replied with a grin, “So. Anyway, I found this place last time that I went out and it’s perfect.” He gestured broadly at the area in front of him. “See. Those scavs, they won’t see you coming. And really they’re too stupid to hit anything that isn’t in front of their face, swinging an axe at them. Perfect for target practice.” He explained. “You ready?” He asked.

Rhys shrugged, “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He said.

“Alright, that’s good enough.” Jack replied as he lead him to stand in front of one of the seats. He moved near Rhys and threw an arm around his shoulder. It was a comforting gesture, one that made a light pink flush spread across his cheeks. “Eventually, I want you to learn how to use all of these but today…we’ll start off small. With that pistol I gave you. Pull it out.” He directed.

Rhys did as he was told and pulled the gun out, he even moved into what he believed was a shooting stance. And apparently, it wasn’t a very good one, because Jack just chuckled at him and shook his head. “Why are you standing like that, dummy?”

Rhys cocked his head to the side, “What’s wrong with it?” He asked, looking at the older man with a confused expression spread across his face – his lips were pursed and his brows were furrowed. It probably wasn’t a very attractive expression, but Jack didn’t seem to mind the look on his face one bit.

“Well, for starters, you’re too tense.” He explained, as he grabbed Rhys’ hips. “You want to loosen up a little, keep your shoulders wide and your dominant leg forwards. Now raise the gun – keep it eye level now, so… there ya go.” He smiled as Rhys easily followed his directions. “Good job, kitten.” He praised. “Now why don’t you aim for one of those scavs.” He directed.

Rhys faltered, he wasn’t sure if it was good for him to shoot at the scavs – as nasty as they were – from this angle. It felt… dishonorable. Rhys wasn’t sure if he liked that. He looked at Jack with a curious expression spread across his face, “Are you sure that I should-” He started to say, but Jack just shushed him gently and stroked his hair in a soothing sort of way.

“If it wasn’t you shooting them, they’d be shooting you.” He reminded Rhys, “Go on, kitten, pull the trigger. Show me what you can do.” He encouraged, gently squeezing his shoulders as he spoke. Rhys nodded, lined his eyes up with the sights and aimed for one of the scavs. He hit him in the leg and then the chest. He went down after a few minutes.

“Good shot.” Jack praised, “Now the next one, you wanna shatter his helmet. Trust me, it’ll make everything so much easier for you.” Rhys nodded shakily and did as he was told, aiming for one of the little ones. He went down in moments, the lack of oxygen doing all the work for him.

They kept on going like that for what felt like the whole night. Jack would show him targets and weak spots that Rhys would shoot each time with an expert precision. Each time that his shot was true, he was won praise from the older man. Eventually, Jack was whispering sweet words in his ear every few moments.

Rhys tried to not show his anxiety about those words. His clever little killer. His perfect little siren. His pretty little bird. Those words filled him with both glee and a strange, indescribable feeling of dread. In a way, the words were so sweet and kind that Rhys wanted to hold onto them forever. In another way… they told him something that he had always known about himself. That he was a murderer and a monster. That he was a bad person, that he was dangerous, that he was sick, that he was cursed. He didn’t like to think about it like that, he wished that those thoughts wouldn’t force their way into his mind.

Rhys squeezed his eyes shut, trying to redirect his thoughts and calm himself. He had to… or he would drive himself insane with all the dread and anxiety he felt about his abilities. \‘Maybe…’\ the siren thought, to soothe himself. \‘Maybe it’s okay, if I’m a monster. It’s okay if I’m a monster, so long as Jack is there to make sure that I don’t get out of control. As long as I’m doing what he wants… then it’s not like I’m really doing it. I’m just… doing what Jack wants me to do. And that’s not the same as doing it because I like it’ \ He winced, ‘\… Right?’\

At least, that was what he told himself. That was what he wanted to believe, so he told himself that over and over and over again until the line between truth and fiction became so heavily blurred that he couldn’t tell the difference between the two and he could easily choose the lie over the truth.

* * *

Once Jack and the Vault Hunters that he had hired had taken out Zarpedon and all of the lost legion he had been hailed as a hero by everyone… well, everyone except the current CEO of Hyperion – Harold Tassiter. Rhys had heard him snidely talking down to Jack the whole time, even while he had been risking life and limb to save him and everyone on the space station. Rhys did not like him at all. He thought that he was a slimy bastard and he was sure that Jack would agree with him on that count.

So, Jack had decided to go up to his ex-bosses office and have a talk with him. He told Rhys to stay where he was, that he wasn’t sure that it was safe for the younger man out there and that he would be back for Rhys as soon as he could make it there. That had been… hours ago, by Rhys’ count. So, after he overcame his anxiety about the situation Rhys decided to wander the halls of Helios in search of him.

The entire station was still in the beginning phases of cleaning up after the chaos and destruction that the Lost Legion had caused around the station. Rhys smiled at various workers and occasionally he even made small talk with them as he made his way to Tassiter’s office. When he arrived outside of the office, he noticed that the door was ajar. Truthfully, Rhys thought that that was a little strange but he decided to shrug it off.

He opened the door and quickly realized that he was unprepared for what was unfolding in front of him. “Jack?” Rhys asked, his voice light and shaky – a little fearful too as he watched Jack, with his hands wrapped around Tassiter’s throat. Jack didn’t turn towards Rhys, didn’t pay him any attention. The only sound that anyone made, as Rhys slowly made his way towards them, was Tassiter choking and gasping for breath. Rhys stood there, silent and in shock as Jack brutally, slowly murdered his boss in front of him.

As soon as Tassiter dropped to the ground Jack turned around, a wild look in his eye. Rhys took a step back on pure reflex. He had never seen the older man look like this before and it worried him. He worried for Jack – for his safety and mental health – and he worried for himself too. “What happened with- I mean what did you do with

“Tassiter?” Jack guessed, and Rhys nodded as he stared at Jack with wide, startled eyes. Jack chuckled eyeing the corpse for a moment, before a grin spread across his face and he kicked it with as much ease as if it was an empty bottle. “Sweetheart, Tassiter’s gone.”

Rhys felt a little sick as he looked at the deceased CEO’s body curled up on the floor. He had no love for Tassiter, that much was for sure, but still… it was a gruesome sight. Rhys looked from the corpse to Jack then back at it again, before he finally composed himself. “Well, I can see that but-” He started to argue, but Jack cut him off once again.

“Come here, kitten.” Jack practically growled. Rhys nearly tripped all over his own feet as he quickly made his way over to the older man’s side. Once he was in reaching distance from Jack, the older man grabbed him and pulled him into his arms. “Watch this.” He whispered to the younger man as he dialed a number on the phone that was fixed to the desk. He had Rhys sit in his lap as the line rang out.

“Yes, sir?” The voice of a young woman rang out – Tassiter’s secretary, Meg, Rhys realized quickly. He eyed Jack nervously, wondering what he was thinking of doing. For a moment, he worried that Jack might end up hurting her, but he forced that thought from his mind as soon as it came.

“Meg, _sweetie_ , will you come in and do a clean up for me?” He asked, though it was clearly not a request.

“Ah-!” She exclaimed in shock, but quickly adjusted herself. “I mean…ah, um, yes sir… of course. I will get right on that.” She said, her voice nervous and trembling. It was obvious that she was terrified – of Jack, or something else he would really never be sure.

“ _Thaaaaaaanks_ pumpkin.” He said smugly, then he dropped the phone and started to kiss along the path of Rhys’ collar, leading to his shoulder. He grinned, “She’ll be back in here in any moment.” He said, “With a little dust pan and a broom, to clean up the remains of that prick. _Fuuuck_ it was so satisfying Rhysie. Finally getting my hands around that assholes throat- god I wish I could experience that over and over again. You should have been there. Messy though, maybe next time I’ll just throw ‘em out an airlock.”

Rhys’ face screwed up in confusion. “Jack, what are you-” He started to say, but he was quickly shut up by the older man with a finger to his lips.

“Just wait…” He cooed and pressed a few gentle kisses along the slope of his neck, nipping and licking at the mark. In the next few moments a plump, nerdy looking woman came into the room with cleaning gear – gloves, a trash bag, some disinfectant, the whole shebang. Meg quietly grumbled as she got down on her hands and knees and cleaned him up, commenting under her breath about how many pieces he ended up scattered in.

“Yeaaah, he made a mess going down.” Jack said, laughing as she grimaced at the sight of her ex-boss. All the while his fingers dove underneath the thin fabric of Rhys’ underwear to gently spread apart his folds and tease at his clit. Rhys let out a soft gasp that was – thankfully – ignored by the secretary in favor of cleaning up after Jacks mess. The older man leaned in and tucked his chin against the crook of Rhys’ neck. “Make sure you get all the, uh… grisly bits out.”

“Jack?” Rhys mumbled nervously as he eyed the young woman. “Are you sure that we should-” He cut himself off with a short cry as Jack bit into the meat of his shoulder. Then Jack shushed him and coaxed one of his fingers inside of him. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a few little whimpers as he was teased and prodded and pleasured him, with little regard for what Rhys wanted or didn’t want.

He only opened his eyes again when Meg stood up in front of Jack and him. Jack regarded her in an incredibly casual sort of way. Much too casual for what he was doing to Rhys. “Is he done?” He asked, “I mean – of course he’s done. He was done long before you came in here! Man you should have seen him… it was-” He chuckled and shook his head. “Anyways, you got all of him? And you’re sure I’m not gonna find an eyeball or a… I dunno, finger on the floor.”

Meg stood up, with a few trash bags held tightly in her hands. “All bagged up.” She said, a tense smile spread across her face. Her eyes were wide and the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I was very…” She paused and her eyes darted back to the door. “Thorough. Now may I go? Please?” If her hands weren’t filled with bags, she would be squeezing her pointer fingers together in a gesture of submission.

Jack didn’t even bother to look at Meg. He was much too interested in Rhys to even think of focusing his attention anywhere else. “Sure thing, pumpkin. In fact, take the rest of the night off. You and me, we got a busy day tommorrow.” She nodded gratefully and practically ran out of the room. Jack didn’t bother to stop her, he just kept on giving Rhys attention and affection.

“I don’t understand-” Rhys said, shaking his head a bit as the door slammed behind her. “She just did everything that you said, like you were her boss the whole time.” He said, “It was…” His face screwed up, “Really weird.”

Jack just laughed at that, “C’mon Rhysie, use your brain. I know you’ve got one in that pretty little head. Honestly, what was she gonna do? Run at me and try to stab me with her little secretaries pen? She doesn’t care.” Jack asked, his voice low and gravelly in Rhys’ ear. “It’s not like anyone had any love for Tassiter -” He snorted, “I don’t even think that he had a wife or a kid or a… mother. He probably just came out of a vat where they grow insufferable, power hungry bosses.” He grinned viciously.

Rhys chuckled at that and rolled his eyes. “No- That’s not what I meant.” He said, an exasperated expression spread across his face.

Jack huffed and whirled Rhys around, forcing him to lay back on the desk. His hands grabbed at the pants that were snug on the siren’s hips and he slowly started to pull them off of him. “What do you care, hm?” Jack asked him, his voice low and cruel sounding. Rhys flushed, his eyes immediately darted to Jack’s lips. He was overcome with the urge to kiss him. “Anything that goes on out there, that doesn’t matter. Not right now. All that matters right now, Rhysie, is me and you.” He was practically growling in a feral way like some kind of animal.

Rhys nodded shakily, “Yes.” He agreed quietly, his lower lip trembled quietly as he spoke. He looked up at Jack with marveled, wet eyes. “Y-you’re right, Jack.” He agreed, swallowing down on nothing. “That’s all that matters right now, I’m sorry, I should have known better.”

Suddenly, Jack’s hand was around his throat. He didn’t squeeze or apply any pressure, “Then why aren’t you acting like it?” He leaned in, his lips brushing Rhys’ jaw with a strange sort of gentleness. A gentleness uncharacteristic of how he had been acting. “You haven’t been very present, Rhysie. Why is that?”

“I don’t know…” Rhys answered, “I just, I guess that…uhm, that I’ve been feeling off since-”

‘Since I saw you brutalize that man, I saw you in a way that I didn’t ever wanna see you. You were… savage. You were a monster. I didn’t like you then. You scared me.’

Rhys paused and readjusted himself, pushing the thought from his mind. He could never say anything like that to Jack. He never would. Because it would hurt Jack to hear that. And that would hurt him.

Jack hummed, his fingers gently caressing Rhys’ cheek as he did so. “Maybe I should help set you to rights, huh kitten?” He murmured in the younger man’s ear.

Rhys nodded again, “Maybe you should.” He agreed. “Please.” He whimpered. Unconsciously, he bucked his hips up against Jacks own. He wanted more. More contact. More kisses. More touches. More sweet words whispered in his ear. He didn’t just want more. He wanted everything that Jack would give him.

Then next few moments floated by in a blur, but Rhys found himself bent over the desk with his pants and underwear bunched down at his knees. His face was pressed down against all the scattered papers and polished wood underneath him. He let out a little gasp as Jack grabbed his legs, squeezing his thighs in a less than gentle manner as he did so, and pulled them wide apart. Then Jack leaned down and pressed kisses down the line of his back. “I have everything now.” Jack commented in a low and husky voice. “I have Helios.” Jack kissed his shoulder gently, “I have Hyperion.” He kissed him again, close to the spot where he kissed him the first time. “I have the love and fear of all the people…” Another kiss, “And I have you…” He nipped at Rhys’ ear as he said it, “My pretty little siren.” He crooned, his voice sweet.

Rhys let out a soft whimper as Jack moved down, practically on his knees and sunk his teeth into the meat of his inner thigh. He bit hard enough to draw blood that slowly trickled down his thigh. Jack hummed in satisfaction at the sight of the mark he had made on the siren and licked it all up. He moved up, for just a moment to grab Rhys by the hair and whisper into his ear, “Don’t move.” Before he lowered himself back down onto his knees.

Rhys whimpered and his body tensed up, while Jack spread his folds open so his cunt was exposed for the older man. Then the older man dove in with his lips and tongue, teasing and tasting Rhys until the younger man was dripping wet with slick, moans pouring out of him and incoherent pleas tumbling out of his mouth the whole time that Jack ate him out. Then Jack nudged one of his fingers inside of Rhys, thrusting it in and out of the younger man’s entrance. His pace started out slow, gentle even, but eventually his thrusts started to quicken into something much rougher and a lot more forceful than he ever had before.

It didn’t take long for the pressure to build up inside of Rhys. When he came, all over Jack’s fingers, it was sudden and he let out a whimpering, mournful sound as Jack pulled his fingers out of him. Jack pressed a few soft kisses against his clammy skin, before he slid his fingers back inside of Rhys’ overstimulated cunt. Rhys whimpered and tried to close his legs, push Jack out, but the older man his legs forced open by standing in between them. “J-Jack.” He whimpered desperately, “It’s too much, y-you’re doing too much!”

Jack let out a gruff laugh, right in Rhys’ ear and he kissed his cheek. “This isn’t about you, Rhysie.” He murmured in a low and husky voice, one that was filled with lust. “It’s about me.” He said. His voice was dominating and cruel. Rhys felt like his whole world revolved around Jack. Like he was tethered to the older man, their fates entwined together until the both of them finally ended up dead. The thought of that was both grim and hopeful. In one way, he would always be by Jack’s side. The older man would always be there to keep him safe. In another way, he would always need Jack. He would never be able to go and be on his own.

But… Maybe that was for the best. Jack was the only one that kept him safe. The only one who knew how to handle his abilities. The only one that made him feel like he was under control and safe. Maybe someone like Jack would always need to be there to keep him collared and have a tight hold on his leash. If there wasn’t, who knows what would end up happening. To him and to everyone around him.

Rhys was pulled out of his strange, disorienting thoughts as he came again. Tears started to fall down his cheeks, he was so overwhelmed. Jack sighed pleasantly as he looked at the siren laid underneath him. Rhys was just so pretty and so vulnerable and – best of all – he was all Jack’s. He could do whatever he wanted to Rhys.

Jack found himself growing hard at the sight of the younger man. He pulled his cock out and held it in his hand, squeezing gently at the base of it to tease himself as he did so. He stroked his cock slowly and rhythmically to the sight of the siren for a few moments. Then he guided his cock to Rhys’ entrance. He teased his cock against Rhys’ slick folds and then pushed himself inside of the younger man.

Rhys let out a soft whimper as Jack grabbed his hips and thrust himself inside of the younger man. Jack fucked him rough and hard. He dug his teeth into Rhys’ flesh and squeezed him everywhere. And he kissed every bit of skin that he could get his mouth on. And when he got tired of fucking him on his stomach, he turned him over and moved him so that he was sitting in his lap.

Rhys had a dizzy expression spread across his face as he bounced in the older man’s lap. He only became more out of sorts when Jack wrapped his hand around Rhys throat and squeezed it lightly. Jack knew just how much pressure to apply – even with someone as delicate looking as Rhys – so that Rhys was light headed, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his breath came out in heavy, desperate puffs. Rhys’ head was practically empty. All that he could focus on was pleasing Jack. And please him he did.

It didn’t take Jack much longer to come inside of Rhys, filling him up with his come as he did so. Jack practically collapsed against Rhys after he pulled out. The two of them where both so worn out after everything that had happened that all they could do was hold each other and catch their breath. Rhys wrapped his arms around Jack and closed his eyes. It only took him a few moments to drift off into a heavy slumber where he dreamt of being back on Pandora with Fiona and Sasha once more.

* * *

When he opened them again, he was laying on a soft bed, dressed only in his underwear. Rhys sat up and looked around. He wasn’t in Tassiter’s-- Jack’s office. He wasn’t in Jack’s office anymore. He was in a lavish looking bedroom that was sparsely furnished.

Everything had happened so fast, one minute Jack was just… Jack and in the next moment he was – well. He was different. He was scarred and his face was enveloped in a mask. But the strangest thing about him was how differently he acted. He was still Jack for the most part – still that overly friendly, kind man that had helped him that day. But he was… different. Angry, erratic and even a little deranged.

And yet. Rhys felt nothing but love for the older man. Rhys sat up and pressed his knees to his chest, he let out a little huff as he got up off of the bed. He wrapped one of the blankets around his body to keep himself warm as he wandered out of the room and into the hall. He found Jack in a small looking room with a bar and floor to ceiling windows. Rhys raised a hand up in a nervous half-wave. “Hey.” He said, his voice quiet enough that he would forgive Jack if he wasn’t able to hear him.

Jack was looking out the window with an indiscernible expression spread across his face. “I was wondering when you’d wake up.” Jack said, but his tone was distant. It was like he wasn’t really in the room with Rhys. It was like he was somewhere far off. Maybe somewhere that wasn’t even on this planet. “You passed out hard after all that victory sex.” He said, “So I thought I’d just let you sleep it off. You seem to be better off now.”

Rhys huffed quietly, “Is that what that was?” He mumbled under his breath. He looked at Jack, opened his mouth with the intention of saying… something and then he closed it before any of the words that he had in mind for him came out. Thankfully, Jack didn’t seem intent on listening to anything that he had to say.

“C’mere.” Jack ordered. Rhys did as he was told and stepped towards the older man, and as soon as he was within reaching distance he wound an arm around his waist. Then he Rhys towards the window. He grabbed Rhys’ jaw, forcing him to look at the window. The sight was beautiful – it was like every planet and every star in the galaxy was in clear sight from here – but Rhys wasn’t much able to appreciate it while the older man was holding him like that, holding him so threateningly. “You see all that?” He asked, “Hm?” He muttered, the edge in his voice sharpening with every word that he spoke to the younger man held captive in his arms. “All the planets, the stars out there?” He hummed.

“It’s…” Rhys trailed off as he looked at the sight in front of him. “It’s so vast. So much. It’s-” He sighed and shook his head in marvel at the sight before him. “It’s beautiful, Jack.” He gushed, his voice light and airy and filled with a strange sense of wonder.

“Yeah.” Jack agreed, whirling Rhys around so that the siren was forced to look at him. “And that – allll of that is gonna be mine.” He said viciously, then he corrected himself. “Ours. It’s all gonna be ours.” Jack kissed him then. The kiss felt less like a show of tenderness or affection and more like he was laying a claim on the siren. Then he cupped Rhys’ face and gently tilted it upwards. “You and me, we’re gonna go places. Together.” He said, “You want that, don’t you baby?” He murmured, his voice low and raspy. “You’ll do anything to keep me happy, won’t you.” That last statement wasn’t a question and Rhys knew it. It was a clearly spoken fact. One that Rhys wouldn’t dare even think to deny. Why should he deny the truth? There was no point in it.

“Of course.” Rhys said, a starstruck expression spread across his pretty face. “I’d go anywhere with you, do anything for you. Because I -” Rhys stopped himself before he said, ‘I love you.’ And it was a good thing that he did, that would be much too mortifying for him to reveal. Even if Jack already knew, saying it would make him drop dead from shame. “You’ve done so much for me.” He said, his voice wet and eyes pleading.

 ** _“Handsome Jack._** ” A truly smug grin spread across his face. There was a manic look in his eyes, it frightened Rhys a bit, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to even pull away from Jack. He was much too enamored with the older man to do anything like that. All he could do was lean into his touch. “Names Handsome Jack, Rhysie.” He said. “And don’t you dare ever forget it.” He warned. Though Jack could tell, from the frightened and star struck expression that was spread across Rhys’ face, that he never – ever – would.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has: Force feeding in it

The coming months were filled with chaos and trepidation. Jack had been working to take over control of Hyperion, weed out all of the workers and higher ups that wouldn’t bend the knee and pledge their loyalty to their new leader. For the most part, people did. Most people didn’t want any trouble and they would do whatever they were told, so long as their lives hadn’t changed much and their families were safe. And Jack made sure that all of the workers were comfortable, reunited with their families and back to work after a short adjustment period.

For most people, whether it was Handsome Jack or Harold Tassiter in charge, nothing would change. It was just that Jack was much more handsome – much more likable. Some of them had started to feel something akin to worship for Jack – after all, he had saved them from an invasion, he had saved all of their lives. So, of course – most of them – were incredibly grateful to him. And the ones that weren’t, well, they wouldn’t be a problem for much longer. Because they would end up dead.

It took a while for Jack to weed any would be betrayers out, but eventually Rhys and Jack had established a balanced and happy energy on Helios – but they did it. That morning, Rhys had been woken up by the overwhelming scents of hot coffee and cooking pancakes and freshly sliced oranges. He wandered out of bed and walked into the kitchen to find that Jack had made him breakfast. On the table, Jack had laid him out a spread of pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast and sliced fruits as well as hot coffee and juice. He smiled at the older man, “What’s all this?” He asked as he looked around the space in front of him.

Jack returned his smile and gestured for him to sit down, “Well, Rhysie…today is a very special day. I want you to be extra prepared for it.” He explained vaguely as he prepared Rhys a varied plate of food stuffs.

“That’s vague.” Rhys hummed in reply, but he had a smile spread across his face as he sat down and allowed himself to be served by the man that he had already devoted his life to serving. It was nice to have the roles reversed, even in such a small way, for such a small amount of time. “I’m guessing that you’re not gonna tell me until it’s time?” He asked.

Jack hummed in response, moving behind Rhys to gently stroke his hair, “You know how much I love a good surprise.” He murmured in the sirens ear, before he pressed a kiss behind his ear and pulled away from him. “I’ll tell you later today.” He added, as comfortingly as he could manage.

“Yes, I know…” Rhys replied with a playful roll of his eyes and a tiny little smile spread across his lips.

“Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in the dark for long. I know you don’t like it when I keep you in suspense.” Jack replied, soothing his hands down Rhys’ shoulders and arms. The siren leaned back into Jack’s touch and hummed in a contented manner as he was touched affectionately and given the attention that he so often craved from the older man. That was all that he could do for now. All he could really do was wait and see what Jack had in store for them in the near and distant future.

* * *

Jack kept his word, Rhys found out what he had been planning for that day. They were nearly done with Jack’s takeover of Hyperion. He had weeded out all of the disloyal workers and executives, either by intimidating them or pushing them out of an airlock. Now the only thing that they had to worry about was the board. That’s why they were all going to meet them today, to discuss how things were going to be, now that Jack was in charge of Hyperion.

Jack didn’t think there would be much trouble – after all, the board had supported him on his way up the corporate ladder and when they were on Elpis, in fact they had given him so much support that they had practically made Tassiter toothless in the process, which just made it more satisfying for Jack – but Rhys would be there to back him up just in case something went wrong. Just in case any of them got any stupid – not to mention borderline suicidal – ideas of taking back full control of the company from Jack.

Jack casually walked into the boardroom, with Rhys trailing behind him. The siren kept his head down and made himself quiet and unnoticeable. Partially, because Jack had told him to and partially because he didn’t really want to be noticed by any of the board members. He didn’t want to be noticed by anyone that wasn’t Jack or someone on the very short list of people that Jack trusted, truthfully.

Jack grinned at the members of the board. “Gentlemen and…” He looked around, disappointed. “Oh boy it really is a sausage fest here, huh.” He muttered to himself, before he quickly readjusted. “Any way, Members of the board.” He cleared his throat ostentatiously, “I’m glad that you all agreed to meet me up here.” He greeted, though it wasn’t like he had given any of them much of a choice.

Kidnapping them and holding them hostage here was a much better description than an agreed upon meeting, because that was exactly what had happened. Jack had called Wilhelm up and paid him to bring all of the board members up to Helios and he payed extra for a little menacing, just to make things even better for him. One of the men, a spotty, balding man who looked to be in his mid fifties decided to speak up first. He looked at Jack with an unimpressed expression. “Jack, what is this all about?” He asked. “What’s the meaning of this?!” He looked angrier and angrier by the moment, all filled up with impotent rage at Jack and at the situation he was being made to suffer through.

Jack just grinned in a gregarious sort of way, he was obviously having a lot of fun with this. He loved watching corporate assholes like this squirm. He smiled cruelly at the man and then ignored him. “As I was saying, before Mr. Danvers so rudely interrupted me…” Mr. Danvers sunk in his seat, an embarrassed expression spread across his face as Jack continued on. “I’ve brought you all here today to discuss how things are gonna go from here on out, or really, I’ve brought you all here to listen while I tell you how things are gonna go from here on out.” He looked around the room, waiting for another outburst, but none came. Jack shrugged and continued on speaking. “From now on Hyperion is under my sole control. Meaning, I’m going to be taking executive control from all of you.” He said.

That was when the outburst that Jack was waiting for finally came. Great. At that, one of the men stood up, he was younger than the rest, but he was not much less haggard looking than the rest of them. He was rotund and red faced and he was balding in patches from the stress of working for the company twenty four seven. “We’re not giving up anything!” He snapped, though none of the other members of the board bothered to say anything. Either they were disinterested, at peace with letting Jack run the company, or in fear of retribution. In any case the result was the same. “Y-you are a monster!” He snapped, “Someone’s gotta put a stop to you.” He said ominously. “Maybe it’s gonna have to be me. If the rest of you are too cowardly and old.”

Then, in a flash, he pulled out a pistol and aimed it towards Jack. Rhys’ mouth opened, a panicked scream dying in his throat. It was pure dumb luck that the gun jammed and Jack was given enough time to pull out his own sidearm and shoot the man in the knee, disabling him immediately.

Jack hummed at that, a sneer spread across his face. “Rhysie?” He called, gesturing towards the siren. Rhys stepped forward, a graceful smile spread across his face that betrayed the shakiness in his steps. “Come over here and lend me a hand, pumpkin.” He hummed. Rhys nodded shortly as Jack keyed in a command into a program on his pocket watch that he had created specifically for Rhys – one that would ease the hold that the collar had on him, or tighten it, depending on his whims. He gave Rhys nearly full use of his abilities and momentarily unleashed him from his control.

Rhys swallowed down his fear and put forth his best efforts to ignore the fear that was deeply embedded inside of him and drew his hand forward to call forth his powers. Then he turned his attention towards the man that had stepped forward just moments before and called Jack a monster.

Rhys isolated the man from everyone else and called forth splintering ice crystals. They grew all over his body, coating him in the ice and freezing him there. He was solid, like a statue built from ice. Or a sculpture – even if it was a brutal, ugly looking one. Then Rhys made a thoughtful noise and pulled out a little pistol from his pocket. It didn’t have much fire power to it, but it would do for Rhys’ current purposes. He shot him three times, right in the head, and watched him shatter without a hint of emotion on his face.

Jack smiled at the siren, in a gentle sort of way. “Thank you, kitten.” He purred, as he locked Rhys’ abilities up once again, only leaving him enough control over them to use them in small controlled bursts. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone in any meaningful capacity. “You can take a seat now.” He directed Rhys towards a chair that was seated very close to where Jack stood and gave his speech to the executives that sat at the board – all of the men now stood stock still in horror, with the reality of their situation becoming more and more clear by the moment. Jack was the one who held all the cards here.

“See, this is gonna be a lesson – for all of you and for anyone that comes to sit here at the board after you all die.” Jack explained, with a cruel grin spread across his face. “You know the good old days, when Tassiter and I had to come grovelling at your feet to get the go ahead to do whatever we wanted?” He asked, looking at bored expressions that were on the men’s faces change into something filled with anxiety and weariness for their future. “Yeah…see, that’s all over now.” He said darkly.

Then the room quickly exploded into a fight – all of the men started shouting at once, their voices mixing together in a jumbled mess of words that couldn’t be separated or made sense of. Rhys put his hands over his ears to blot out the sound of them, after only a few moments because it was so overwhelming to him. “Alright, you can be quiet now…” Jack started to say, but was quickly overrun by all of the shouting that was going on, “Oh, for the love of-- SHUT UP!” He snapped.

Suddenly, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop from down the hall. Jack let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Theeere. That’s better, now.” Jack said, a cruel grin spread across his face. “As I was saying, this can go down one of two ways. The first, you’ve already seen. You can try to come after me, but I’ll kill you. Or Rhysie here will kill you, or you’ll go out an airlock. Same difference all around.” He said, “I can kill all of you today. And if the next group of peons that Hyperion’s headquarters chooses is difficult, I’ll do the same to them. But it doesn’t have to be like that.”

“And the second option?” One of the men piped up to ask, Jack glared at him eyes narrowed, with his hand on pocket watch, ready to dial in the program again and have Rhys kill the man for talking out of turn. But he decided against it. Jack decided to do something that he rarely ever did these days. He decided to show mercy. Jack slid his hand back in his pocket and continued on with his speech, eyeing the board member who had interrupted him the whole time that he spoke.

“Your second and only real option here is you let me do what I want.” He explained, “I run Hyperion, I run Helios and I oversee everything that goes on in the company.” Then he grinned, “This way I get what I want and you all get what you want.” He said and then, in a mockingly thoughtful tone, “Unless you don’t want to make so much money that you can all buy a big ass swimming pool and fill it up with cash.” He grinned viciously as he looked around the room, “Is anyone objecting to that? Anyone at all?” He asked facetiously, watching in amusement as the board sat in contemplation.

In the end, Jack got what he wanted out of the board – and he didn’t even need to kill most of them. He counted that as an incredible success. Once all the executives had cleared out of the room, he turned to Rhys, ready to reward him in whatever way he saw fit. He started off by pulling Rhys in his arms and grinning at him playfully, “You did a great job there, pumpkin.” He hummed and pressed a kiss against Rhys’ heated cheek. “You were the perfect little killer.” He cooed, “Really scared the piss out of those lazy jagoffs on the board. I’m so proud of you, baby.”

“I was just doing what I was told…” Rhys mumbled, a bashful blush spread across his cheeks. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Jack, he suddenly found himself so nervous around the older man though he didn’t consciously understand why he was suddenly feeling so shy. He just was.

Jack grinned and leaned in, looking at Rhys like he thought that he was precious. “No, don’t be so modest, kitten.” He reprimanded lightly, “You did a good job, like I said, and you deserve every bit of praise that I give you.” He frowned, “Look at me.” He hissed. It took Rhys a moment or two to finally obey the older man’s commands, “You don’t need to be modest or graceful, or fucking anything when it’s just you and me. Every nice word that I say to you is more than well deserved. You did an amazing job back there, I’m glad that I have you by my side.” He purred.

Rhys smiled at that, which made Jack smile in turn. “Now, what do you say me and you go out tonight?” He said, speaking to him like he was just Jack – not Handsome Jack, the near tyrannical leader of Hyperion, but just…Jack, the man behind the curtain. “I wanna take you out to dinner, there’s this great burger place on one of the stations orbiting Helios. We can get milkshakes too, cause I know how much you love ice cream. Then we can see a movie or two, back at our penthouse. You can sit on my lap the whole time, Rhysie.” He purred.

Jack knew just what to say to pull Rhys in, he could always hone in on what the siren wanted. He knew perfectly well how desperate Rhys was to feel cared for and loved. So, he was happy to provide that affection – so long as Rhys did what he was supposed to – and take it away if he ever decided to be difficult. That hadn’t happened yet.

Rhys nodded and leaned in to kiss the older man, an act that Jack was more than happy to accept and reciprocate – dipping and kissing the siren until he was dizzy and breathless. Boneless in the older mans arms. Then Jack hoisted him up and carried him away for a night where he would be praised and spoiled and lavished with all of the attention that Jack thought he deserved. And all the while, Rhys would find himself becoming more and more attached to the affection and praise – addicted, even.

* * *

Jack kept a hand on the small of Rhys’ back the whole time that they walked through the halls of Helios. He had decided to take the siren on a tour of the place, “How are you liking Helios?” Jack asked, “Now that you’re not burrowed away in one of my hiding spots?” He added meaningfully.

Rhys smiled in a content sort of way, “It’s nice.” He replied, in a complimentary fashion. “Very upscale. Very classy, I like it here.” He said honestly, looking at the older man with an adoring expression spread across his face, his eyes filled with love for Jack. A naive and innocent sort of love, the kind of love that someone like Jack could very easily corrupt and manipulate.

Jack hummed in a contented sort of way, nudging his hip against the siren’s own. “Glad you feel that way, pumpkin.” He replied, “You like the black and yellow colors?” He asked, if for no other reason than for posterity. Rhys nodded in response, “I chose the new color scheme, you know it used to be this whole black and red color scheme but I decided to change it. Just thought it was kind of dour.” He pulled a face,

“How could Tassiter ever think that you were gonna just let him keep control of Hyperion? I mean, you basically made this place all your own under his nose!” The siren exclaimed as he looked around the place.

“Because he is well, was, an idiot.” Jack answered, “But hey, at least the best kind of idiot there is.” He added, grinning viciously.

Confusion marred Rhys’ face as he processed what Jack had just said. “I- What kind is that?” He asked.

“The dead kind.” Jack replied and then laughed at his own cruel joke. “Ah, but I didn’t just take you down here so I can show you the cineplex and the pleasure palace.” A blush spread across Rhys’ cheeks as he mentioned ‘that’ part of Helios. “Nah, I got something really special to show ya.” He said, his tone turning into something excitable. “See, the thing is, I haven’t been entirely honest with you-”

“Oh no.” Rhys exclaimed, incidentally cutting Jack off in the middle of his sentence.

“No, don’t worry…” Jack soothed, “It’s nothing bad.” He grumbled to himself, under his breath for a moment before he readjusted and addressed the younger man again. “It’s just, I have a daughter.” He looked at the siren’s expression morph into one filled with relief and grinned. “And she’s… well, she’s like you.”

“She’s a siren?” Rhys asked, his voice tiny and filled with hope. He hadn’t met many siren’s before. The only one that he met, Lilith, well the two of them weren’t very friendly with each other. Because of his proximity to Jack and what she had done to him, he felt sourly towards her and he was sure that the feeling was mutual between them. “She’s like me?” He pressed his hand to his chest briefly as the thought of having a friend – someone that he could relate to on a deep level, so close that they were like siblings. A family that was bonded on a psychic, metaphysical level – a bond that was even deeper and more important than blood was.

“Yeah, she’s just like you, Rhysie.” Jack assured him. “Well. Not just like you – all sirens have different abilities, you know, but pretty damn close.” He explained, “Anyways, I want you to meet her. I figure you two got a lot in common and you could both use someone who can understand you – a friend.” He added, “And I don’t trust most people knowing about her, they could hurt her, take advantage of her… kidnap her. I worry, you know.” Then he smiled and took Rhys’ hand in his own.

Rhys blushed in a nervous sort of way and ducked his head, just to avert his gaze from Jack’s. “I would love to meet her!” He replied, excitement heavy and present in his voice. “Is she on the station or-”

“Oh, there’s a private fast travel station around here.” Jack explained. “Only I, and a few people that I trust, have access to it.” He added, “Now come along kitten, it’s not far.” He said as he lead Rhys down to a small, thin hallway where – at the end of it, was a fast travel station that had been locked up for his personal use. He tapped in several passwords and pulled out an access card from his pocket, then it finally unlocked, so he could take them to the BNK3R.

They stopped at the front door, where a bot with a saccharine sounding voice asked Jack for the password. “I love you.” Jack said and the bot responded affirmatively. With a, ‘Welcome back, Handsome!’ right before the doors opened. Jack walked into the room, with Rhys trailing just a step or two behind him. The bunker was a well protected facility. Lots of barriers and shields were raised – as well as turrets standing at the ready to shoot at anyone hostile.

“Angel, baby!” Jack greeted loudly, as they came to the center of the facility where there was what looked like a bedroom built for a little girl. There was a bed and a desk, a bookshelf with lots of books filling it. On the desk was a large computer that hooked into the rest of Helios and littered around it were a bunch of scraps of loose paper with hastily drawn pictures scrawled over them. “Come on out, I got someone I want ya to meet!” He spoke so loudly, there was no way that she didn’t hear him.

The room was the definition of a gilded cage. Rhys thought that his room was not much unlike his own back at the penthouse. Jack was protective over Rhys, much in the same way that he was over Angel. It was because of this that he already felt a kinship towards the girl. He knew that they already had another thing in common – they both belonged to Jack in some way or another.

Angel came out of what Rhys assumed was the bathroom, out into the open. Angel looked to be about fourteen or fifteen and she was dressed similarly to the way that Rhys was – maybe this outfit was just what Jack had his sirens wear, he thought. She looked at Rhys curiously, her eyes wide and lips parted in surprise at the sight of the other siren. “You brought him here?” She said, but she phrased it like a question. It was obvious that this was a surprise for her.

“You’ve heard of me?” Rhys asked, eyeing her warily as he spoke. Jack nudged Rhys forward, into the shielded up room. He obeyed, though he was hesitant to do so. For a lot of reasons. Angel nodded and smiled at him nervously as she sat down at her desk. It was only then that he noticed that she was hooked up to the room. There was purple wiring, IV’s attached to her body. He thought that she must be sick and was quickly overcome with sympathy for her.

“Jack had me do a background check on you,” She replied, in a nonplussed sort of way. “He just wanted me to figure out some things about you, about your past.” She said, “I’m hooked up to Helios. So it’s easy for me to get the info that Jack couldn’t while he was trapped on Elpis.” She explained shortly. Then she smiled back at him, “You know, you don’t have to just stand there like that. You can sit down, Rhys.”

“Oh.” Rhys exclaimed his shoulders rounding off nervously as he processed all of that. He quickly did as he was told and sat himself down on her bed, he sat primly – his back straight, a cautious expression was spread across his face. Then he looked over at Jack, “Is it okay if we’re alone?” He asked, looking at the older man hopefully. “Just for a bit?” A big part of him expected Jack to tell him no, even as he said it.

Jack’s mouth twitched for just a second, an unreadable expression crossed his face and then disappeared, far too quickly for Rhys to read into what it meant. He leaned in to kiss Angel on the forehead, then he turned to Rhys and gently kissed him. “Of course, you two can have some privacy.”

“Thank you.” Rhys said, his voice very quiet. Jack nodded and told him that he would be back in an hour or two to take him back home. Rhys looked at Angel with a surprised expression spread across his face. “I didn’t think he’d actually leave without a lot more convincing.” He remarked, his tone filled with astonishment at the situation.

“He’s probably watching us with the security cameras.” She replied, rolling her eyes. “He never really leaves me alone here.” Her eyes drifted up to the cameras and she half-heartedly waved at them.

Rhys felt a twinge of concern for her, “What happened to your mom?” He asked, his tone of voice gentle and soft. It was a caring gesture – nurturing, in a way that Jack never was – and Angel was sure that Rhys had no idea how much she appreciated it.

“She died.” Angel said, “I killed her.” Her lips twitched and she pressed her knees against her chest as a sorrowful look crossed over her. “I mean I didn’t. W-well I did but it was an accident, I – she was… My tattoos sprung up one day, out of nowhere. And Ja- my dad, he was really nervous, he thought that I was poisoned or sick or something.” She said, “So he took me to the hospital.”

“My parents didn’t think anything of it.” Rhys interjected quietly. Things probably would have ended up just as badly if they did, their town would have still been destroyed, he would have still lost them in one way or another. He frowned and bit down on his lower lip, trying to will the thought from his mind.

Angel shook her head to herself as she continued on speaking, “Well, bandits found us and they tried to take me hostage and I… think? That I used my powers on a turret and it- she got caught in the cross fire.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, like she was revisiting the death of her mother all over again. She frowned as she looked at Rhys, “I d-don’t even know why I’m saying this.” She confessed quietly as Rhys looked at her with a kind expression and quietly listened to her unloading. “I barely know you.” Her tone was apologetic, like she worried about how Rhys would feel about her after this.

This was probably the first time that Angel had had any prolonged contact with someone other than Jack. And she always had to walk on eggshells around her father. Rhys reached out to grab her hand and squeeze it in a comforting sort of way. Both of their tattoos started to mindlessly flicker from the contact. “It’s okay.” He soothed, “You can talk to me about it if you want. I understand more than you probably realize.”

There was a genuineness about Rhys that pulled her in. So she opened up and talked to him. She talked about how everything had happened with her mother – how she had died and how Jack thought that it was her fault. How she had been running things behind the scenes of Helios for a long time, how Jack had told her that she would be safe here. How she felt like it was her fault that her mother was dead and she knew that Jack thought it was her fault, even if he never said as much. Rhys spoke to her too, about his past and his present with Jack, how he had lost his family to bandits and when he had found a new one, he had lost them to Atlas. How Jack had promised to keep him safe and how Rhys would do anything to make the older man happy.

Eventually, the conversation veered towards happier things. They were both into art and video games, they both had an interest in coding. They talked about silly, meaningless things for hours and it was nice – Angel hadn’t gotten the chance to just… be normal, with anyone in such a long time, and neither had Rhys. They were much more well matched than Jack had originally thought they were.

By the time that Jack came back into the bunker to see them, both Rhys and Angel had been tired out from everything that they had done together that day. Jack smiled at the sight of both of his sirens looking more content than they had in a long time. “I’ll be sure to give you an access pass so that you can see her whenever you want.” He grinned as he looked at Rhys, who was laying limp and boneless in his arms. “You’d like that wouldn’t you, pumpkin?” He cooed. Jack thought, if he played his cards right, he could definitely use this to his advantage.

“I’d love it.” Rhys replied, nuzzling against the older man. “Thank you, Jack.” Jack smiled gently down at Rhys, before he started to walk the two of them back to the penthouse so that he could get some well deserved rest.

* * *

Jack led Rhys down several hallways and took him down to a private elevator that led right to a very secretive branch of Research And Development – a branch that was dedicated to learning about the abilities of sirens and harnessing those abilities – even improving upon them – for Hyperion’s purposes, in a way, but mainly for Jack’s purposes. Jack had taken Angel to this wing of Helios many times.

“Now that it’s safe here, I’ll have to start bringing you here too.” Jack explained as they walked around the station together, so close to each other that they were hip to hip and their fingers occasionally brushed as they walked. The closeness helped Rhys deal with the anxiety that he felt about going to this medical bay with Jack. Ever since he had been kidnapped and experimented on by Atlas forces, Rhys had had a deadly fear of hospitals, doctors, scientists… if there was a man or woman in a lab coat and a sterilized environment you could bet money that Rhys was terrified of it.

So, naturally, Rhys was filled with fear and anxiety about being taken here. “Are you sure…” He trailed off and looked at Jack, “Jack, are you sure that I absolutely need to go here? You know how I feel about the doctors and hospitals… what happened to me.” He explained quietly. “What Atlas did to me.” He added sourly, his mouth set into a sad little pout.

He had told Jack everything about his past – of course he had, he was the first person that he felt safe around in such a long time – he truly hoped that he wouldn’t hold it against him. Not after all of this time that they had been together. Jack responded by pulling Rhys in for a hug, when he pulled away he gently tipped the siren’s chin just slightly upward so that he could caress his cheek, his thumb gently teasing his chin and lower lip. The way he was being touched felt so damn good to Rhys that the siren let out a soft, sighing moan as he did it. “I’ll be there the whole time that they work with you, to keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you, baby, and if anyone even thinks about trying, I can just throw them out an airlock.” The words were vicious and cruel, but he spoke so gently to Rhys that the siren couldn’t help but feel reassured by them. “So can you try to work past your fear for me?” He hummed.

Rhys nodded shakily, tears in his eyes. “Oh… o-okay, I can try, if it’ll make you happy.” He agreed quietly. Jack pulled him in close and rewarded him with another kiss, before he led him off into the heavily sanitized room, where a few doctors where lying in wait for him.

Well, doctor. There was only one. A tall, thin blond woman with a long face and a neutral expression spread across her face. Rhys eyed her warily, wondering what would be in store for him. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, he reminded himself, after all Jack would be here to make sure that he was safe and nothing too drastic would be done to him. “He-hey, Sammy!” Jack greeted in a gregarious manner.

He walked over and leaned in her ear to whisper something that Rhys couldn’t quite catch – other than the phrase, “--Your wife and kids.” He was completely in the dark. What he did witness fully, was the expression on her phase morph into one of fear and terror. She nodded at Jack, then turned towards Rhys. She forced a smile on her face as she addressed him in a professional manner, “You must be the… new siren.” She greeted. “My name is Doctor Samuels.”

Rhys held his hand up in an awkward little half-wave. “I’m Rhys, hi.” He greeted, as cheerfully as he could manage.

She hummed in a noncommittal sort of way, “Why don’t you get dressed in one of these gowns. And then-”

Jack cut her off before she could finish her sentence. “I’ll get him all dressed, undressed, and I’ll strap him down.” He said, a possessive look spread across his face.

Dr. Samuels looked like she was going to say something to that, before she thought better of it and shut her mouth. “Alright, I’ll be right outside.” She said. Then she practically ran out of the room to give the two of them some privacy.

Jack pulled Rhys into his arms and squeezed his hips, pulling in close to Rhys so could nuzzle against his cheek. “You gonna be a good boy for me?” He hummed in the siren’s ear. Rhys closed his eyes, a pleasant sigh erupting from him as Jack touched him so delicately. He nodded shakily and allowed himself to be spun around so that his back was to Jack’s.

Jack smiled against him and unzipped Rhys’ top, pushing it off of him and letting it fall to the ground in a puddle of cloth behind him. Then Rhys stepped out of his shoes so that Jack could pull his leggings and underwear down. Rhys blushed and looked down at his feet when he saw Jack leering at his naked body. It wasn’t like it was anything that Jack hadn’t seen before – Jack had seen Rhys naked and spread out before him many, many times – but still the look on his face made the siren feel so bashful.

Rhys put on the slim linen gown and Jack helped him onto the medical cot. First, he grabbed Rhys’ flesh arm and restrained it above his head. He did the same with his cybernetic arm, but used stronger restraints – ones meant for Cyborgs like Rhys. He wouldn’t be able to get out of the restraints, not even with his cybernetic limb. Rhys whimpered and squirmed a bit as the helpless feeling overcame him.

Jack was quick to soothe him, petting his thigh. “It’s okay, baby, nothing bad is gonna happen. The restraints are just here so you don’t squirm around and make it so the doctor has to start all over.” He looked at Rhys expectantly, “Okay?” He asked, just to make sure.

Rhys was hesitant to reply, “O-okay.” He said finally and Jack nodded and continued on. Then he moved to Rhys’ legs, pulling them up into stirrups and securing them in place. He smiled at Rhys one more time, then moved up to kiss him on the forehead. As Jack got up to move, Rhys began to panic. “I thought you were gonna stay with me? No, please don’t leave.” He begged desperately.

“It’s okay, baby, I’m gonna be right outside the whole time.” Jack soothed. Rhys finally calmed enough then for Jack to allow him to leave without whimpering or panicking too much. “They just need the room to be sterile. But I’ll be right behind that glass, okay?” He pointed towards the window. “See, I’ll be watching from right there, so you don’t need to worry. Alright?” He hummed. Rhys nodded quietly and Jack gave him one more kiss, before he called the doctor back into the room and walked back out.

The first thing that Dr. Samuels – Sammy, as Jack had called her – did was hook Rhys up to an IV. It didn’t do much, at least nothing that Rhys could understand, but his skin felt icy and his head felt fuzzy. He opened his mouth to ask her what she had done to him, but he found that no noise came out of him.

“Don’t worry, it’s just temporary.” She explained, “You won’t be able to speak or move your mouth. Because… well, you aren’t going to like this. I’m sorry, there isn’t anything I can do to make it better for you.” Then she moved to the table, where came out with what looked like a feeding tube and a speculum. “You’re going to be fed Eridium. Lots of it. It’s going to hurt. I’m sorry.” She apologized again, looking truly sorry for him.

Rhys eyed her with terror as she moved in between his legs and lubed up the speculum and, as gently as she could manage, pushed it inside of him. If he could speak, the cold would have made him squeak and if he could move, he would have curled up into a ball to get away from the chill. “We’re almost ready.” She hummed as she opened up the tubing of the device, forcing the siren wide open for anyone to see.

Then she grabbed a tool, a thin metal tool and thrust it as deep inside of his cunt as it would go – again, as gently as she could manage. She tried to be as professional as possible, but it was hard with how unprofessional – and not to mention unethical – all of this was. She sighed and flipped a switch on the tool. Then it whirled on and slowly began to feed Rhys suppository pills of highly concentrated Eridium. Then she pushed Rhys gown back down as much as it would go, which wasn’t very far.

Tears were already streaming down Rhys cheeks as she moved back up to his chest. He wanted to cry and scream – he wanted to tell her that she was burning him, that his veins were on fire. He wanted her to stop the burning because he knew that she could do it. She was a doctor, after all.

Couldn’t she fix him?

Dr. Samuels sighed as she went back to the table and grabbed a feeding tube. “Breathe in.” She told him. Despite Rhys’ fear, he did what he was told, she pushed the feeding tube all the way down his throat. Then she connected the tube to a bag of what looked like slag, but Rhys knew that it was liquefied, refined Eridium. Then she sighed “This is going to take a while.” She explained, “Here, I’ll put on a movie for you that you can watch-” Rhys shivered, “And I’ll get you a blanket, so you don’t have to be cold.”

She seemed desperate to make all of this seem less horrifying to Rhys. Rhys was just resigned to his fate, and thankful that he didn’t lose a limb. And he was happy to accept the blanket that she placed strategically so it kept him warm from the neck down and watch the movie that she put on the TV that was affixed to the wall. It was an old cartoon re-telling of King Arthur. He tried to immerse himself in the film, hoping that he could ignore the pain if he did so. It only worked about half as well as he wished.

Jack came back into the room after about two hours, which was just as long as it took for the treatment to be over and Rhys to be drugged with anesthetics and anxiety medication. “Sammy! How did it go? How’s my boy doing?” He asked, smiling at the doctor – just a hint of a threat in his eyes.

“He took the treatment about as well as we thought he would.” She reported, “His vitals are fine and he doesn’t seem to be rejecting the…eridium supplement, as far as we know he won’t.” She added, “And there is… some swelling in his midsection, because of how it was inserted inside of him, but that will go down in time.” She nearly opened her mouth to tell Jack to be gentle with Rhys right now, as he was no doubt in pain and feeling sick, but wisely shut up just in time.

“Right… so his powers will start improving after this?” He asked. He wanted – no, needed – Rhys to be much more powerful than he already was. It was the same with Angel, as powerful as she was she could be much better. Both of his sirens deserved to be the best. They deserved to have the best abilities in all six galaxies, they deserved to be much more well suited than the ones that had sided with the bandits on Pandora – like the Fire-hawk and that blue haired monk.

“They should be.” She replied, her voice clipped and tight. “If they aren’t… well, we’ll have to try something else.”

Jack hummed with faux disinterest. “Is he awake?” He asked. He wanted to see how Rhys looked right now. All blissed out and whimpering for him. He would bet that he was scared too, but Jack would be there in moments to make everything better for him.

“Just barely I think.” She replied, “We gave him a sedative and something to help him with the pain after the treatment was done. He shouldn’t have to suffer more than necessary.” Dr. Samuels kept her eyes averted from Jack. She didn’t want to do or say anything that might set the older man off, especially not while he had her wife and child under lock and key.

“Then get out.” Jack snapped at her, “I want to see him. In private.” His voice was practically a hiss, he seemed so suddenly agitated. She ducked her head and practically ran out of the room, eager to get away from him. Jack smiled, put on a gentle face and moved towards the bed the Rhys was strapped down onto.

Rhys was conscious, but barely so, and it was obvious that he had been giving a lot of drugs to calm down and stop the pain. His pupils were blown out and his tongue had lolled out to the side. He smiled down at the siren. “Hey there kitten, how are ya feeling?” He hummed sweetly.

His fingers gently caressed Rhys’ cheek, petting him like he was a skittish little animal. “Jack?” Rhys slurred as he looked at the older man. Jack hummed softly as he slid his thumb in Rhys’ mouth, encouraging the siren to lazily suck on the digit. “Jaaack, what are you doin’?” He mumbled around the older man’s thumb.

Jack just shushed him and coaxed the digit deeper in his mouth, so that Rhys was practically laving all over his knuckles. The siren sighed and closed his eyes, a soft moan coming out of him as he did. The older man chuckled at the sight of Rhys – he was really enjoying how blissed out that the siren was – and moved to unzip his pants and pull his cock out. “You like sucking my thumb, kitten?” He asked.

“Yesh, daddy.” Rhys mumbled, his eyes lidded and a drunken blush spread across his cheeks as he spoke, his words slurring because of the obstruction in his mouth. “Like it a lot.” He added quietly.

“Yeah?” Jack replied, becoming more confident by the second. “You want something bigger to suck on?” He cooed down to Rhys. The siren mumbled affirmatively and that was all that Jack needed to hear from him. He pulled his thumb out of Rhys’ mouth and grinned as the siren whimpered from the loss. When Jack nudged his cock against Rhys’ mouth, he was already had and spilling pre-cum onto the sirens lips and tongue. Rhys moaned helplessly at the feeling of his mouth being filled up with the older mans’ thick cock.

With one hand, Jack pushed Rhys’ head down to force more of his cock inside of the sirens’ mouth, while the other playfully wandered down to his chest to pinch and tease his nipples while Rhys did his best, with how drugged he was, to please him. Rhys let out a few muffled moans around Jack’s cock as Jack pinched and twisted his nipples, pulling on them and prodding them until they were puffy and raw from all of the abuse that Jack had inflicted on them.

His hand trailed down to his swollen stomach, he smiled and gently pet the raw skin – eliciting a whimper out of Rhys as he did so which set off vibrations around his cock. Then they moved down to tease at his folds. Rhys was already wet, just from the feeling of sucking Jack’s cock.

Jack grinned at that and nudged his fingers inside of Rhys’ entrance. Rhys whimpered, as he was still sore from what had been done to him earlier, but decided to focus on pleasing Jack. He hollowed out his cheeks and sucked the man with as much effort as he could manage in his drugged out state.

“You’re such a good boy baby.” He cooed down to the siren. Rhys made some happy little noises around his cock. “But I want more than your mouth right now.” The siren whimpered mournfully as Jack pulled out of his mouth. Jack moved over to where his legs were held up in stirrups. Then he grabbed Rhys’ hips and pushed them upwards as he gently thrust his cock inside of the younger mans’ sore cunt. “How’s it feel, kitten?” He cooed as Rhys whimpered and moaned in pain.

“Hur’s daddy.” Rhys slurred. “Hurtttss bad.” He whimpered, his eyes wet with unshed tears as he said it.

Jack shushed him, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it better.” He purred. Then he pulled out a small toy from his pocket. It was cute. It looked like a little octopus. Jack gently moved it to where Rhys’ clit was and switched it on, it slowly began to suction onto Rhys’ clit and low vibrations erupted from it. Rhys gasped and moaned, his mouth falling open as he was pleasured by the toy. “How about now? You feel better?” He asked. Rhys nodded and asked to be kissed. Jack was happy to kiss him and tell him what a good little boy he was as he fucked him with powerful and deep thrusts. After he came, he pulled Rhys into his arms and held him close as the two of them soaked in the afterglow.

Tonight, Jack would treat him like a spoiled little prince. He would dote on him and praise him, make him feel like he was the very center of Jack’s universe. And the next time they came here – and it would be soon – even if Rhys hated it, he wouldn’t be so frightened of the hospital.

Not anymore, not when Jack was around.

* * *

**Nearly eight years later…**

Rhys sat perched on Jack’s knee, quiet and still like a statue, while the CEO of Hyperion sat at his desk with a manic grin spread across his face as he addressed the vault hunters that had miraculously escaped from that last rigged train. Rhys had watched Jack kill troupe after troupe after troupe of vault hunters on Pandora, never to be seen again. None of them had ever escaped before, not even one of them. The fact that all four of them had escaped that morning was incredibly suspicious to the siren.

He had told Jack as much and Jack had only smiled at him, pulled Rhys in for a kiss and told him that he knew him so well. But he hadn’t divulged much more than that, because he wanted it to be a surprise. At least for now.

“Handsome Jack here!” Jack exclaimed, his tone jovial and friendly as he addressed everyone with a quick public service announcement. “Here to remind you all not to worry your pretty little heads about those earthquakes. See, with every tremor my drill gets closer to the vault! To freedom. Order! And safety for us all.” He said, his tone of voice friendly and magnanimous. Then his voice got low, “Except you asshats in Sanctuary.”

Jack was watching the Vault hunter’s with a borderline obsessive interest. He liked to check in on them every so often and to torment them with reminders that he would kill them. He had eyes on them, marking their progress – the four of them had just gotten to sanctuary. He could – if he wanted to – just strike them down right then. Rhys had to wonder why he didn’t and eventually his curiosity got so high that he decided to ask him about it.

“Jack, I don’t understand.” Rhys commented warily. “How did those bandits survive?” He asked as he moved to straddle Jack even closer, his thighs on each side of Jacks hip. “I mean, you’ve never let one of them go before. So either they are god like when it comes to their strength or-” He was cut off when Jack pulled him in for a kiss, shutting him up immediately.

When Jack finally pulled back, Rhys was breathless, with a dizzy look on his face. “No, kitten…” Jack murmured in the siren’s ear. “You don’t understand.” He said. Rhys could feel the vicious, cruel grin that was spread across Jack’s face.

“No.” Rhys agreed, his tone so flat that it was practically filled with sarcasm. “I definitely do not understand. What are you planning, Jack?” He asked. Jack responded first by whirling Rhys around so that he was facing him. Then he grinned and grabbed Rhys face, so that he could pull him in for a gentle kiss. A giddy smile had broken across Rhys face as he pulled away from the kiss. “What?” He asked as a chuckle was elicited from Jack. “What?” He asked again, laughing along with the older man.

“It’s just…” Jack sighed and shook his head as his laughter finally died down. “It’s just that you know me so well, Rhysie.” He said, as Rhys eyed him curiously. Jack pulled him in for another kiss, this time on Rhys’ cheek. A shy grin spread across the siren’s face as he was kissed. “I am planning something.” He said and then, in response to Rhys’ curious expression he explained further.

“See, one of those vault hunters are gonna lead me to where the bandits are hiding and when I find their little hiding space…” He grinned, “They’ll lead me to the key. And once I have the key in my possession-”

“You’ll get to the warrior and get everything that you ever wanted.” Rhys finished Jack’s sentence for him and all the while, a look of understanding spread across his face. “Jack that’s…” He trailed off and looked at the older man, hoping that he understood what he was trying to say.

“I know!” Jack replied with a grin, “It’s a good plan, isn’t it?” He hummed, the grin that was spread across his face quickly became a smug one.

“A good plan?” Rhys mimicked and shook his head, “Jack this is so much more than just a good plan. It’s brilliant!” Rhys agreed with a nod and a giddy smile spread across his face, “Or at least it will be if it works.” He added for posterity.

“Oh, It’ll work.” Jack replied, his tone filled with a mysterious sort of confidence, like he had seen into the future and divined that everything would work out in his favor. Maybe, Rhys thought, after everything that had happened on Elpis, he had. Maybe he had seen the way forward, just as he had seen the warrior in action, on that dreadful day.

“Really?” Rhys asked, “How can you be so sure?” He eyed Jack curiously. Then Jack pulled him in close and lay him down on the desk and squeezed his hips, his fingers digging into the silken trousers that the siren had hastily pulled on that morning.

Jack had a vicious grin spread across his face as he looked down his nose at Rhys, “Simple.” He hummed in his ear as he pulled Rhys pants off of him and hefted the siren’s legs up onto his shoulders. Then he grabbed Rhys’ top and pulled it upwards so that it was bunched up around his shoulders. “I know that everything is gonna work out perfectly because…” He leaned in and kissed Rhys in a saccharine sweet sort of way, when he pulled back he had a cheeky grin spread across his face. “You and me? We’ve got an angel on our side.”


	8. Chapter 8

Rhys sat on the cool floor of Jack’s penthouse on his knees, with his thighs spread and his hands crossed behind his back – his cybernetic one locked in place so even if he thought to break the position he was in, he wouldn’t be able to. He wore no clothing, because Jack didn’t like him to be dressed when they were at home. The only thing on him was the control collar that was fixed around his throat. It was tight but not so tight that it chafed or caused him trouble breathing.

The weight of it was incredibly comforting, a constant reminder that he would be safe to exist in public without having to worry about any outbursts of his abilities – he didn’t even need to worry about using his abilities at all most of the time. The only time that he was even reminded that he was a siren at all was when Jack had use of his abilities. Today had been one of those days.

Rhys had been kept very busy that day, Jack had sent him down to the prisons to “interrogate” several bandits that had been caught trying to break in to one of the facilities on Pandora. Rhys had flayed, burned, strangled them until they were half dead and weeping confessions. Then they were given medical treatment and sent to the mines to work until they were considered civilized enough that they could return to their previous lives – though many of them didn’t because they would decide to become loyal Hyperion employees full time.

Because of the collar, his powers only burst out when Jack wanted them to, which was a huge relief for someone like Rhys, who hated the abilities that he had. It was a relief to be collared and controlled like this for him. It kept him feeling safe and secure. He thought that, as long as he was under the older mans’ thumb, nothing bad would happen. At least, nothing bad would happen to him or anyone that he cared about.

By the time that Jack walked into the penthouse, Rhys had been locked in position for such a long time that he had receded into a heavy, submissive head space. Jack grinned wide when he looked at the siren kneeling on the floor in wait for him. He walked up to Rhys and gentled him with soothing words and even more soothing touches. “How’s my special boy?” The older man cooed, cupping Rhys’ chin in his hand so he could tip his head upwards. Rhys lit up, a smile spread across his face as he looked up at him. “Good, hm?” He guessed, without needing Rhys to say even a single word. Rhys leaned into his touch, allowing Jack to caress his cheek and soothe his soft skin in his rough hands.

Jack treated Rhys like glass, touching him like he was precious and valuable – like he was completely priceless. In many ways he was, there were only six sirens in the universe. And none of them could hold a candle to his Rhysie – not even Angel, though he loved his baby girl more than anything else in the world. No, that kid was a real diamond in the rough. He was beautiful and fragile, he was shy and frightened, so desperate to be loved.

Rhys was special, he was special for all of Jack’s purposes. Jack was so lucky to have Rhys here, sitting at his feet and looking at him with love, a sweet little siren that wanted nothing more than to serve Jack and take care of all his wants and wishes. It was easy to take advantage of him, to make him crave Jack’s attention, to drive him to

“You look so beautiful.” Jack commented as he looked down at Rhys, watching with amusement as the siren preened from all the compliments and affection that he was receiving. “My pretty, perfect little siren. All in perfect position for me. And I didn’t even have to ask, you just know how to do what you’re told without any prompting, what a good boy.” Praise, praise and more praise. Rhys couldn’t get enough of it. He ate up all of the affection with a ravenous sort of hunger. “Tell me, you wanna make me happy, don’t you kitten?”

“Yes, daddy, of course.” He said, “I always wanna make you happy.” Then his hand moved up to pet and stroke his clothed cock, gently squeezing the length. “Can I-” He asked pitifully and desperately with big eyes looking up at him, filed with lust and want for the older man.

“You want my cock, kitten?” Jack hummed as he pet his hair. Rhys nodded and nuzzled his cheek against Jacks’ thigh. The older man chuckled, loving how cute the siren was and ushered him to follow him back over to the love seat against one of the walls. He sat himself down and spread his thighs wide like a lazy king, looking down on his loyal subject. Rhys sat between Jack’s spread thighs, sitting on his knees in front of the older man. “Alright, kitten? You want my cock now? Go ahead, you can have it but don’t use your hands.” He commanded gently.

That was all the permission that Rhys needed. He dove forward and gently pulled down the zipper with his teeth and mouthed around his cock, trying and failing to get Jacks’ dick out of its’ confines, until Jack took pity on him and pulled it out himself. Rhys nuzzled his cheek against Jack’s thigh and pressed kisses all over the shaft of his dick, starting from the base of it and moving his lips upwards until he was pressing kisses all over it’s fat head.

He smiled up at Jack, too innocently for what they were doing, as his tongue darted out to swirl around the head of the older mans cock. Rhys let out a quiet him as he wrapped his lips around the head of his cock and take him down his throat. He felt Jack’s fingers weave their way through his hair, tugging on the auburn locks impatiently as he forced Rhys’ head down until the siren was kissing at the root of it.

Rhys let out a strangled gasp as Jack leisurely fucked his throat. Rhys’ eyes began to water and tears spilled down his cheeks as Jack made him take him down deeper and deeper in his throat. Jack threw his head back and groaned as he felt Rhys, deep and throaty. “Sh-shit.” Jack exclaimed, as Rhys hollowed out his cheeks, his lips kissing the root of Jack’s cock.

Rhys hummed in satisfaction, thrilled to make the older man tremble and shake from pleasure. No one else got to see Handsome Jack like this. No one but Rhys was allowed to see Jack so vulnerable. Knowing that he could do that to Jack made him feel powerful, like there was something special about him that made Jack shake with want. He loved that feeling – hung onto it for as long as he could.

Suddenly, Jack pulled Rhys off of him and forced him to his feet. Rhys had a dizzy, blissful look spread across his face as he regarded the older man. Jack chuckled and cupped Rhys’ face, urging him forward with surprisingly gentle hands. He kissed Rhys on his open mouth, holding him in place with one hand while the other moved down in between his legs to cup his cunt. “You’re already wet.” He commented.

Jack’s fingers expertly stroked and pet him, making Rhys come apart even more than he already was. His knees shook and his whole body trembled, his heart pounding so loudly he could hear it blasting in his ear. “I… I like making you happy.” Rhys replied, his voice shaky with unbidden moans.

“I know you do.” Jack replied, his tone pleased and only a little teasing. “My little people pleaser.” He added teasingly. Then he grabbed Rhys around the waist and manhandled him over to a high standing table. He forced Rhys to bend over and kicked his legs apart.

Rhys let out a little gasp as he felt one of Jacks’ hands wrap around his throat and squeeze him just tight enough to make breathing a little harder. A dizziness came over him, spots flying around the edge of his vision. He felt Jacks’ cock rubbing against him before he forced himself inside of his cunt. Jack kept his hand wrapped around Rhys’ throat while he fucked him hard and fast – like he owned him. Like the siren was little more than a sex toy that he could use and abuse at will.

Rhys’ eyes rolled in the back of his head and he nearly collapsed, his knees weak and his body trembling against Jacks’ own, while Jack came deep inside of him. Jack held him up barely and murmured praises in Rhys’ ear. He couldn’t make out any of the specific words because everything that Jack said had blended together – but he knew that the meaningless praise made his stomach feel warm and fuzzy, he felt so good. So loved and so adored.

The next thing that he knew, Jack was carrying him to bed and laying him down on it. His arms wrapped around the sirens’ waist and he kissed his cheek. That was the last thing that he felt before he fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep. The next time that his eyes opened, the room was pitch black and he could vaguely make out the form of the older man dressing himself. He sat up tiredly as he regarded him. “J-jack?” Rhys mumbled as he looked up at the older man. “Where are you goin’?” He asked, peering at him with a curious, sleepy expression spread across his face.

“Go to sleep baby doll. I’ll be back soon.” Jack assured gently. He kissed Rhys on the top of the head, smiling at the sleepy look of adoration that crossed over Rhys’ face right before his eyes closed again. Jack caressed Rhys’ one more time before he got up off of the bed and tucked the siren in. He quietly walked out of the room and locked the door on his way out so he wouldn’t interrupt him.

Jack walked into his study and locked himself inside of the room. The room was mostly bare, the only thing that was in it was a bookcase that was filled with personal files and weapon designs that he had drawn up himself and a desk with a computer that connected to

There were security cameras all over Pandora, Hyperion had had them installed shortly after Jack took power. He hoped that one day, they could be utilized to keep all the citizens of Pandora – the ones that weren’t filthy bandits or Vault Hunter sympathizers – safe and protected under his watch. But for now he used it to, occasionally whenever he had the spare time in his busy schedule, keep track of the vault hunters. He had plans for these vault hunters, he needed them alive and doing his bidding without knowing it. So, if there was even a chance that they weren’t doing what they were supposed to, Jack was happy to… nudge them in the right direction.

“ _Bingo_.” Jack whispered as he watched them running around doing chores for the Fire-hawk. Rescuing her stupid commander ex-boyfriend, getting that tainted power core that he had personally sent out to trap them. Once they put that power core into their shield, Sanctuary would finally be open to moonshots and mortar blasts and he could finally stomp those cockroaches living in Sanctuary out for the better of society. Jack grinned and leaned back in his seat, everything was going perfectly according to plan.

* * *

Rhys walked out of the bedroom, dressed in nothing but Jack’s old Hyperion sweater. It was old and personal to Jack, with lots of patches and holes inside of it, as well as sewn up tears in parts of it. The color of it was faded from years of use and it smelled of Jack in the best sort of way. Rhys felt so lucky that Jack allowed him to wear it to bed so often.

The penthouse was huge – as large as he would have expected the home of a man like Jack to have, maybe even bigger than he had expected. There were lots of extra rooms, all these pathways and hallways, rooms filled with expensive things, rooms filled with nothing, rooms that were quartered off specifically for Rhys to use however he saw fit and even a few rooms that Jack had locked up and refused to let Rhys go into, for whatever reason.

So, it took Rhys a bit of time to finally find Jack in one of the rooms, walking around in a circle as he angrily screamed at whoever was on the other line. Rhys was sure that whoever it was, he must have done something to deserve it. “Ugh, I don’t care about what your family wants! If they want you to be alive to come home to them, then you’ll find those skag fucking bandits, get those stores of Eridium back and kill them!" There was some talking on the other line, Jack's frown deepened. "I give you a week before I shoot a mortar at your fucking grandmother's house. Goodbye." Jack cut the call off and grumbled to himself about the idiots that worked under him. “Pumpkin!” Jack exclaimed as he finally noticed the siren standing in the doorway. “Why didn’t you say anything?” He asked, his eyes narrowing a bit with something close to suspicion in his eyes.

Rhys flushed and looked down at his feet. “I didn’t want to interrupt you.” He explained, his tone quiet and bashful. Jack grinned, about to say something to that when a sudden wave of dizziness overcame Rhys. His knees started to shake and he nearly passed out. He barely stopped himself. But he managed and smiled at Jack. "Th-the call seemed important." He added meaningfully.

“You alright there?” Jack asked, back straightening as he got ready to intervene if anything happened.

Rhys forced a smile across his face, “Y-yeah, I think so I just-” But the siren wasn’t able to finish his sentence as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body fell back.

Jack ran to Rhys before he could hit the floor and pulled him into his arms. “Woah!” He exclaimed as he looked at the younger man, the fragile expression that was spread across his face. “What’s going on cupcake?” He cooed. “What’s the matter with you?” He looked at Rhys in a scrutinizing sort of way, like he was trying to figure out if he had hit his head or something like that.

He couldn’t see anything wrong with him, at least not physically, all he could see was the distressed look that was on Rhys’ face. Rhys let out a whimper as Jack steadied him and helped him stand upright. “I, I guess it’s- maybe it was just some leftover, uh…” He frowned as he looked at the older man. “I… I think I forgot the words, I’m sorry.” He said helplessly, “My… head hurts. My eye? I…” He stopped speaking, his voice turning into a quiet litany of whimpers and whines.

Jack looked at Rhys with confusion. He had no idea what was wrong with the younger man. One moment he had been fine then the next moment he was babbling mindlessly and his brain was on fire, he couldn’t imagine the pain that he was in. Then Rhys’ whimpers and moans turned into cries. He looked at Jack helplessly, “Ja- help me… I don’t know what to do!” He whined.

Then he fell unconscious in the older mans’ arms. Jack practically ran Rhys to the medical bay, he held the siren in his arms the whole time – worried that something would happen to the young man at any moment. As soon as he entered the medical bay, with the siren in his arms, all of the medical personnel stiffened and immediately stood to attention. “H-handsome Jack, sir!” One of the doctors, a young man that looked frazzled from regularly being overworked and overexerted. “W-what can I do for you?” He asked, pressing his hands together in a mockery of a praying pose.

Jack sneered at the sight of them, he was furious, barely holding himself back from screaming at the doctors. “Isn’t it obvious?” He snapped, looking down at Rhys’ passed out body in a meaningful sort of way. “He’s… something is wrong with him.” He said, “Fucking fix him, I don’t care how long it takes or how much money it costs.” His voice was so low that he was practically growling at the doctors and nurses in front of him. “ _Fix._ _H_ _im_.” He seethed, his voice filled with desperation and barely leashed rage. The doctors were quick to do exactly what was demanded of them, Rhys would make it through this even if it killed nearly every doctor on the station from over-exertion and the consequences of getting on Jack's bad side. 

* * *

Jack had been terrified that he was gonna lose Rhys that day. That after all of that hard work and care he had put into molding the younger man into the perfect pet, it would have all gone to waste. He couldn’t lose Rhys, not after all of this. He had to keep him safe and sound, at all costs. And all because of a freak accident, a malfunction with his neural port. Jack had taken care of it and he had taken good care of Rhys when the medical bay finally cleared him for discharge. Rhys was still unconscious when they handed him off to Jack, there were still heavy post-surgery drugs in his system and the doctors had told him that he might be asleep for some time. So Jack had taken all of the necessary steps to care for him. He had stripped Rhys out of the hospital clothes and drew a bath for him. He gently washed the siren and dressed him for bed. Then he carried him back to their bedroom, laid him down on the silken sheets of his bed and tucked him in with as much sweetness and gentleness as he could muster.

Jack thought about staying with Rhys until he woke, but he was pretty sure that it might come across as a little weird – not to mention uncomfortable and boring for Jack – to Rhys if he just sat there and waited for him to wake. Besides, he had work to do – running Hyperion was a busy job, so he set a timer on his pocket watch with the intent to come back to Rhys after he got some work done. Hours later, when Jack returned to the bedroom, Rhys was still sleeping peacefully. He was laying on his back with his thighs slightly parted and a demure expression spread across his pretty face. Jack smiled adoringly at the sight of him. The siren really was too cute for Jack to bear. Jack could never resist him when he was helpless and sweet looking like this.

He sat down on the bed next to Rhys, his hands moved slowly and delicately as they roved down the siren’s body. He slowly unbuttoned the sleeping top Rhys was wearing and then pushed it off of his shoulders. He moved down to Rhys’ trousers and pulled them down at a snails pace, so as not to disturb the siren – not yet, at least – then came off his underwear. Jack’s broad palms slid up and down his thighs, admiring his soft skin and long limbs. Jack stripped down and carefully moved himself so that he was poised above the siren. Then he moved down to kiss him, gently, on the lips before he explored the rest of his body.

Rhys’ eyes opened blearily to the sight and feeling of Jack on top of him, one of his hands caressing his body with a gentleness that was rare for him. Jack was pressing kisses down his chest and stomach. He slowly spread Rhys’ thighs and raised his hips, before his hand moved to cup the sirens’ cunt. He looked down at Jack, who seemed strangely… worshipful of him right now.

Rhys had never seen him like this before, it filled him with a strange sort of delight to be kissed and touched like he was worth his weight in gold. Especially by a man like Jack, who had always been larger than life, who had always made him feel like he was a god that Rhys was bound to worship in every way possible. He let out a gasp, alerting Jack to his wakefulness, as Jack’s tongue brushed against his clit. Jack smiled up at him, “G’morning pumpkin.” He cooed, pressing a kiss to his clit.

Jack continued to mouth between the siren’s slick folds and Rhys gave up, throwing head back against the pillows underneath him. He allowed Jack to fuck his tongue and fingers in and out of his cunt until he was trembling and coming apart underneath him. Even after Rhys came, Jack continued to kiss and touch and play with him. The older man didn’t come up for air until Rhys was squirming and desperately trying to pull Jack away from him.

Rhys pouted at Jack as he moved up to kiss him, making Rhys taste his own slick on his lips. He moaned at the act as Jack pulled away – it made him feel so filthy. “H-hi.” Rhys greeted weakly as Jack grinned at him in a cheeky manner. He looked around the room. “I’m not where I was…” He said weakly. “What happened?” He asked looking down at Jack with a pleading, confused expression spread across his face.

“That’s because I had to take you to the medical bay.” Jack explained, gathering up a bit of slick from him in between the siren’s legs and tasting him. Jack started to stroke his own cock, until he was hard and leaking pre-cum all over his fingers. He slid his cock against Rhys’ cunt, teasing him. “ _Oh_.” Rhys exclaimed quietly, “What happened?” He asked again, his voice was weak and raspy from hours and hours of constant disuse and lack of water.

“You had some issues with your cybernetics.” Jack grunted as he gently thrust his cock inside of Rhys’ slick entrance. “Your neural port was short-circuiting, it nearly fried your brain. Your arm was fucking shot out when I took you to the medical bay.” He explained, his tone taking on an irritable edge to it as he spoke. Suddenly, Jack pulled all the way out and thrust back in, hard enough to elicit a ragged cry out of the siren. “I thought I was gonna lose you, baby, I was so afraid that you’d be gone forever.”

Rhys’ mouth opened and closed, whimpers pouring out of him as he processed everything that Jack was telling him. He almost died, he realized, getting sick at the thought. He almost died because of some old experimental cybernetics that he had only agreed to get because he was paid to have them implanted. “I’m so-sorry…” Rhys babbled quietly as Jack pressed kisses against his cheek and down the line of his jaw. “I had no idea that… I didn’t know.” He closed his eyes and sighed as Jack continued on with onslaught of affection.

Jack just shushed him, “No, no, baby. Don’t apologize.” He cooed, “This wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.” He promised, “I’m just so glad that you’re okay now.” Jack rolled his hips against Rhys’ own, causing the siren to quietly whimper and cry out. Rhys grabbed onto Jack with his flesh arm and held onto him tight. Jack fucked him with thrusts that were slow and deep, it was like Jack was making love to him – like the fright of losing Rhys had put him in a sentimental mood.

He let Rhys kiss and press against him as much as he wanted, while Jack thrust in and out of him. All the while, Rhys’ flesh hand moved in between his own legs to tease at his clit, his fingers sluggishly pinching and circling the swollen nub as Jack fucked him like he had just returned from war. Like his life depended on ruining Rhys’ body for anyone else. As if he wasn’t already ruined. Jack forced his legs apart and held him down while he came inside of him.

He practically collapsed on top of the siren and allowed Rhys to hold onto him as the two of them came down from the high of their combined orgasms. Rhys rested against Jack lazily, for what felt like hours, until he was once again roused by the older man. Rhys looked at Jack with a helpless expression, as Jack kissed him over and over again, until Rhys was giggling and nuzzling against his cheek. He kissed Rhys one more time before he pulled him to his feet.

Rhys fixed him with a confused look and Jack smiled in a reassuring manner, “C’mon, I got something to show ya.” He said as he pulled the siren along. He led him to a sleek looking room with a full length mirror and told him to stand right there while he got his present. “Oh. And close your eyes for me, pumpkin.” Jack hummed. “It’s a surprise.” He added, his tone cheeky and sweet in a way that he only was with Rhys and Angel these days. Rhys did as he was told and squeezed his eyes shut, though he squirmed around a bit in a gesture for Jack to be quick about it. He heard Jack circle behind him and grab what he was pretty sure was a heavy box. The next thing that he knew, Jack had grabbed Rhys’ port socket and held it steady.

Out of curiosity, Rhys opened his eyes in the hopes of sneaking a peak at what Jack had in store for him. Jack noticed what he was doing and decided to put a stop to that. “Ah, ah! Keep them closed!” Jack reminded the siren. “You don’t wanna ruin this surprise baby, it’s more than worth the wait.” He explained, pressing a kiss behind the sirens ear.

“Okay, okay…” Rhys pouted and squeezed his eyes shut, a little tighter this time. He let out a sigh, mostly through his nose as he felt his socket messed with. Then his body felt a bit heavier and then… he felt like he had both of his arms again. He let out a little gasp as he felt Jack move away. “Is that…?” He trailed off, hoping that his present was what he thought it was.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.” Jack hummed in his ear, one of his hands gently stroking through the siren’s hair while the other stroked his bare hip. Rhys opened his eyes the moment after he was given permission to do so. He was greeted to the shocking sight of his new cybernetic arm.

Rhys smiled nervously as he admired the arm that was fitted onto him. “I…” He trailed off as he looked at it – it was gorgeous and expensive, it was chrome and shiny, colored rose gold with intricate designs that matched his tattoos. “Jack, I don’t know what to say. It’s perfect.” He marveled as he admired it.

“Only the best for my baby.” Jack hummed as he moved behind him. He wrapped his arms around Rhys’ waist. “What do you say, we go take a bath with lots of soaks and bubbles like I know you like. I can wash you and kiss you everywhere…” He kissed Rhys behind the ear, “Then once we’re all clean and ready, I take you out to the nicest restaurant on Helios?”

“Wh-what?” Rhys asked, “L-like a date? With me? In public?” Jack hadn’t ever done anything like that before. He was incredibly protective over Rhys, he kept him hidden away from prying eyes. Despite the fact that he was sure the status of their relationship was well known around Helios – because, really, nothing was a secret around here – they had never done anything public like that.

Usually if Jack wanted to take him on a date, they would do it privately. It wasn’t hard to do, when you had the kind of money Jack did. But it was never public, usually Jack would cook him dinner and get a movie they could watch in their private theater together. Sometimes Jack would eat him out and comment that he was the only person that could get Handsome Jack on their knees – that always made Rhys’ heart skip a beat. Or two, maybe even three or more if that was even possible.

Jack hummed in response, nuzzling against the siren affectionately. “I wanna take you out and show you off, pumpkin.” He hummed, “You deserve to be shown off – especially with that brand, spanking new arm!” He added, his voice gleeful and gregarious at the prospect of it all.

“Okay.” Rhys agreed, suddenly feeling giddy. “Let’s… yeah, let’s go out. It sounds great.” Jack smiled and took him by the arm, gently pulling him along to their big bathroom to take that nice shared bath together before they had their night on the town together.

* * *

Everything was incredibly peaceful on Helios these days, mainly because Jack was in a great mood as of late – he felt like his victory had already been assured, things were going perfectly well. Until it was revealed that his daughter had betrayed him. Then all of that peace and quiet crashed around them and everything erupted into chaos for Jack and he was desperate to pick up the shattered pieces of his perfect little family. Jack was standing in front of Angel, while she glared daggers at her father. Rhys stood off to the side and between them, watching their exchange with anxiety and weariness in his eyes. Jack was practically pacing in front of the younger siren. “Angel, what the hell did you do?” He asked, his tone coming across like he was feeling betrayed. Rhys had no doubts that his feelings were genuine, but he was so convincing that even if he wasn’t Rhys would be drawn into his side anyways. “You sold us out to those bandits?!” He shook his head, “Why would you-”

“I did it to stop you.” Angel said, her voice quiet and filled with anger. Rhys’ eyes widened at that revelation. “You’ve gone too far, Jack! Someone’s got to stop you.” She said, looking at him like he was a stranger. “This thing with the vault, it’s driving you… I don’t even recognize you anymore.”

Jack’s mouth set in a stern line, narrowing his eyes at the siren. “So you would side with bandits over your own flesh and blood?” He asked – obviously not expecting an answer out of the siren.

“They’re my friends!” She snapped, standing up to full height – looking at Jack with anger and years of built up resentment and anger with him. “They care about me, they want to h-help me!” With every word that she spoke, her confidence built up, further and further.

Jack laughed at that, “Friends?” He parroted, mockingly. Cruelly. Rhys looked at Jack warily as he spoke down to her. He had never seen Jack act like that, not with Angel at least. “You think those bandits are your friends? Baby…they don’t care about you.” A look of hurt crossed Angels face and she took a step back from Jack. “Look, all they want is to get to the vault before me and plunder its riches, and they’ll do or say anything to get their way.”

“Those are not friends.” He said meaningfully, “They’re just taking advantage of you baby.” He grabbed Angel’s shoulders and gently squeezed them. “They just…” He sighed and shook his head, like he was incredibly sorrowful. “They were trying to hurt me. That’s what they do – they’re bandits. Savages. All they can do is hurt. That’s all they know.” He said, “Look what they did to Nisha, just to hurt me. And she was a bad ass – if they could get to Rhys they’d try to come for him too!” He was desperate for her to believe him.

Angel shook her head and looked away. Her eyes darted towards Rhys for a moment, towards the sight of one of the last allies that Jack still had, practically the only one who still lived. Rhys might have been alive, but she didn’t think that he was really living. He was trapped, stuck in this cruel relationship with Jack. Loving him and being so devoted to him – all that care for someone like Jack, someone that only cared for himself and his own goals.

She felt horribly for Rhys and wished that he would realize what kind of monster that Jack – her father, the man that was supposed to love her unconditionally – was. Angel doubted that he would though. She worried that he would never come to terms with that. Rhys was far more devoted than she ever had been. And that was saying a hell of a lot, considering who she was.

“No, stop it-” She started to babble, pulling him away from her. “Stop it! You’re lying, you always lie and trick and manipulate me! I’m tired of it!” She was screaming at him now, tears streaming down her face. If someone didn’t decide to step in, things could get bad, one of them would get hurt and things would get violent. Or worse. Rhys stepped forward, about to say something to stop the fight – or try to at least.

“No.” Jack said, stopping Rhys in his tracks. Angel looked at Jack with a wary expression, like she was worried he was going to hurt her. He never had before, not in any physical way, but a long of things had been changing about him. He had been more erratic lately. Angry and impatient, desperate to get what he wanted out of that vault already. It got worse and worse by the day. Rhys was sure that Angel was worried for her father, but that didn’t supersede her resentment of him.

Rhys looked at Jack, confusion spread across his face – his brows furrowed and his mouth set in a little pout. “Jack what are you doing?” He asked, his voice low and his tone filled with worry – both for Angel and for Jack, his worries between them were contradictory and they conflicted with each other.

On the one hand, there was his kinship with Angel, his friendship with the other siren. Over the past years, the two of them had become incredibly close – or at least that was what Rhys had thought. And then, there was Rhys’ love for Jack, which only got stronger and stronger the longer that he was with him. He didn’t know what side to choose.

He was caught between the two of them, helpless to do anything to stop all of the fighting and at a complete loss at what he should say to either of them. He just wanted all of the fighting to stop. He wanted to go back in time and change things. But he couldn’t do that. He was one of those most powerful people in the universe and he couldn’t even settle a fight in his family.

Jack looked at Angel with an icy expression spread across his face, it was like he wasn’t looking at his daughter anymore. He was looking at a stranger now. “Angel, all I wanted to do was protect you and take care of you.” He said, “Everything that I’ve done, I’ve done for you! One day you will understand that I’m just doing what’s best for you.” His voice was low and cold, a calm sort of rage had settled over him. “I’m putting you on lock down until you learn that. You can say goodbye to all of your things and I’m not letting Rhys visit you for a long, long time.” He hissed.

Rhys looked at Jack, an objection on his lips. He was about to open his mouth and argue with Jack about that. “You can’t just imprison me here forever, Jack!” She snapped at him, “I’m not an object, or a little girl. Not anymore.” She said, “I’ll get out of here, someday… somehow I will escape you, you monster.” She looked at Jack with revulsion and hatred in her eyes, a miserable expression spread across her face as she told him off.

“We’ll see about that.” Jack said dismissively as he walked off. “I’ll have a loader-bot come here to put your things away.” Then he looked at her and said, meaningfully. “I hope that when this is all over, you’ll see that I was just trying to help you.”

Rhys didn’t leave immediately with Jack, he felt the need to check in with Angel again. She looked so sad and so lost. He felt awful for her and he thought that all of this was just a cry for help. He had been like that in the past, angry and frightened and self-destructive. He knew the signs. “I, I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t want things to end up like this.” Rhys said, his tone incredibly apologetic and sincere. He grabbed her hands and squeezed them gently, “If you want I can talk with him.” He added hopefully.

“Don’t bother.” She replied sourly, “He’s a tyrant and he’ll never see me as anything other than a means to an end.” Her tone was dismal and depressed. “He’ll never let me go, even after all of this business with the vault is over. I’m always going to be trapped here.” She spoke more to herself, than to Rhys. It was like something had been done to her over the past months, like the vault hunters had done something to twist her against Jack and him. He hated it.

“I don’t think that’s true-” Rhys started to argue, but Jack got impatient with him and called him back.

“Rhys, we’re going home! Now, pumpkin!” He snapped back at him. Rhys was quick to try and catch up to the older man. Angel looked at Rhys with betrayal in her eyes. Seeing that look on her face broke Rhys’ heart, in many little pieces.

“I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll try and talk to him.” He said, looking back at her with a miserable expression spread across his face as Jack dragged him back to the penthouse. It was Angel’s punishment to bear, he knew that. He also knew that, in time, Jack would forgive her and hopefully, in even more time she would forgive him.

Angel just gave Rhys a steely look, her lips pursed and angry tears in her eyes. Rhys kept his eyes on her as she got smaller and smaller, until she finally disappeared when Jack whisked him back away to the penthouse so that he could vent out his frustrations on Rhys’ body. And if that wasn’t enough, he might go carte blanche with the moonshot cannon – citizens of Pandora be damned.


	9. Chapter 9

Rhys fidgeted in Jack’s arms as Jack walked him down to the medical bay, once again. Rhys loathed these visits, he always would. But Jack told them that they were necessary and going through these experiments was for his own good. They were the only way that Jack knew how to nurture the younger mans’ abilities – and Jack knew better about sirens then anyone else in the universe.

The siren looked up to Jack, “What are we going to do today?” He asked and then, as his body started to fidget a little more in the older mans’ grasp. “Is it… is it gonna be the same thing that I went through last time? With the force feeding and the… other things?” His voice was shaky and nervous. He didn’t like the idea of his body burning with Eridium again.

“It’s going to be a little easier this time.” Jack promised, “I had the nerds down in R&D whip something up, so the procedure will only take an hour or so.” He explained. “It should be easy, I know the last time you were there for hours and there were those tubes so it was hard to breath but… I don’t want to make this difficult for you.” He explained.

“I don’t like the treatments, they hurt.” Rhys confessed, crossing his arms over his chest in a nervous fashion.

Jack looked at Rhys in disbelief, “They shouldn’t.” He said, “You’re a siren. You’re connected to the Eridium. It shouldn’t hurt you.” He explained. Jack opened his mouth to say something else – maybe to tell Rhys that the pain was all in his head – but he wisely shut up.

“But they do.” Rhys replied stubbornly. “I, I can’t explain it but it makes my skin and my body burn and hurt. I don’t want to do this.” He begged, “Please don’t make me do this.”

“You have to.” Jack replied harshly.

“But-”

“This is non-negotiable, sweetheart.” Jack replied, squeezing him very tightly as they walked on. “You need to improve your powers and to do that…you need Eridium in your system.” He explained. Then he changed his tune, he cupped Rhys’ face. “You want to make me proud, right?” He asked. Rhys nodded. “Then you’ll do this for me.” He said.

Rhys looked down at his feet. He didn’t like to upset the older man, he hated it when Jack was disappointed with him. It made him feel sick to his stomach. “Okay.” He replied and continued walking with Jack in relative silence. He would be good, he told himself. He would make Jack proud. Even if it killed him.

They walked into the room and Jack greeted Dr. Samuels in a vaguely threatening manner – just like he always did. After Rhys was stripped down and put in the hospital gown, he had been strapped down to the table and his legs were put up in stirrups. The doctor kindly explained to him what would happen that day – he was going to be giving a few IV drips filled with a heavily diluted Eridium mixture. It would be more or less like a shot. And the procedure wouldn’t take very long.

Every kind word in explanation that she gave only made him all the more nervous. But he had to endure no matter what he felt. He nodded at her when she asked him if it was okay to start and ignored the tears burning at his eyes. Anticipating the pain would just make it worse, he knew that, but he didn’t know how to stop thinking about it – about how bad it would be.

By the time that Rhys’ body had taken all of the Eridium, Rhys was hysterical, in tears. He kept on telling them that he was in pain, that they were killing him, but the doctors told him that he was fine and the pain was all in his head, he was a siren – Eridium shouldn’t cause him pain, especially not the minute amounts of it that they were giving him with each treatment. That nothing was wrong with his body, he didn’t understand why they would be so cruel to him.

“Please, please, please…” Rhys babbled, squirming around on the hospital cot in an attempt to get out of those binds. He looked up at Jack with a pitiful expression. “Jack! They aren’t listening to me! It burns and no one is helping! Why won’t they help me-e-e?” He sobbed.

Jack moved down to Rhys’ level and cupped his face, “Baby, you gotta calm down.” He spoke soothingly, in much the same way that someone would speak to a frightened animal. He gently stroked Rhys’ hair and caressed his face, trying to calm him down to the best of his abilities.

Rhys shook his head, “I, I can’t! It hurts…” He gasped and sobbed, trying to make Jack understand what he was going through.

“Okay, okay, I believe you.” Jack soothed as he untied Rhys. He moved onto the cot and allowed Rhys to cuddle up in his arms. “How does it hurt?” He asked, “Does it ache or burn or… what?”

“It burns.” Rhys sobbed. “It burns so fucking bad! I feel… like I’m on fire.” He added, letting out a little sob. “Please help me…”

“Okay,” Jack hummed, stroking the younger mans’ hair. He called the doctor over and demanded that he get some ice for the siren.

Dr. Samuels faltered in response to that, “But, sir, he’s not in any real pain…”

“It’s real to him.” Jack snapped, looking at her with absolute murder in his eyes. “Get me the fucking ice cubes.” And then he lowered his voice, so low that Rhys wouldn’t be able to hear him. “And get him a sedative.” He added dangerously.

He was brought a small pail of ice. Dr. Samuels got the sedative ready, a thick hypodermic needle, but she waited until Jack gave her the opportunity to administer it. Jack lifted up Rhys’ gown, then he took one of the ice cubes and lay it on the younger mans’ bare stomach. Rhys gasped at the ice cold feeling on his bare skin, “Now where does it burn the worst?” He asked.

Rhys responded by grabbing Jacks’ hand and guiding it down in between his legs, Jack made a noise of understanding and slid the ice inside of him. Then Rhys whimpered and guided his hands over his pulse points. It burned all over. Rhys kept whimpering and hyperventilating all the while Jack continued to tease the ice over his heated, sensitive skin. He eyed the doctor meaningfully and she moved forward to inject the sedative into the meat of his thigh.

Rhys didn’t calm down until he passed out from a mixture of exhaustion, the physical wear and tear of his mental breakdown and the sedative pumping through his system. Jack was gentle with him as he brought the siren back home. Every time Rhys stirred or whimpered he shushed him and reminded him that he would keep him safe from harm – that he had nothing to fear, that he would protect him.

* * *

Rhys had had to be sedated before he left the medical bay, he was so upset and his body was so uncomfortably sore. When he woke up the next morning, his body was still sore and the urge to cry was ever present. He struggled to sit up, every inch of him felt like it was burning from the inside out, every muscle felt like it was torn. Worst still, he felt off balance because his arm was sitting on a charging dock a few feet in front of him – Jack must have taken it off of him after he brought him home. This totally innocent action made him feel all the more powerless. He hated this feeling.

He tried to stand up and get off of the bed so that he could go… somewhere. Anywhere. But as soon as he got off of the bed, he collapsed on the floor. “Jack?!” He shouted, terror filling him to his core. He couldn’t do anything to fix his situation on his own, he felt so helpless and weary. All he could do was hope that Jack would be there to rescue him soon.

Luckily for him, Jack had arrived in moments, “Rhysie, I heard shouting!” He called, “What’s the matter?” He asked, projecting his voice loudly. “Where the hell are-” He looked down and noticed the siren’s crumpled up body on the floor, right next to the mattress. He also noticed the distressed expression spread across Rhys’ face. “Oh. What are you doing down there?” He asked, only a little teasingly.

Rhys looked up at Jack with a terrified expression spread across his face, “I can’t-” He whimpered and let out a stuttering sob, “My legs and my- I’m so weak…” He babbled, “I, I can’t move!” His breath started to come out in panicked puffs, his heart was hammering in his chest – it was painful. He could breath and tears continued to pour down his cheeks.

Jack was quick to pull Rhys into his arms and comfort him until he could breath again. “Okay, it’s okay… I got ya, you don’t need to be afraid.” Jack soothed as he picked Rhys up and held him in his arms. Rhys let out a whimper as nuzzled against him, his eyes becoming lidded as he held on tight to the older man. “You trust me, don’t you kitten?” Jack hummed to him as he carried the siren down the hall.

“I do.” Rhys chirped in reply. Maybe he shouldn’t have – maybe he should view Jack in the same way that Angel did. With disdain, distrust and outright hatred. But he didn’t. He loved Jack and he wanted to make him proud – even if that meant that he would have to suffer a little bit to get there.

“That’s good.” Jack hummed, pulling him in a closer. “I’ll take real good care of you.” He explained, all the while the two of them walked down the hall. He took Rhys down to the dining room and sat him down at the table, “Now, I was making some breakfast when you started to panic but don’t worry about that now.” He explained, “I’ll finish up in a minute and we can eat. Then we’ll take a bath, maybe watch some movies after that.” He smiled at Rhys, “How does that sound?”

“Sounds good.” Rhys replied. Jack didn’t take long to finish up the breakfast that he had been cooking for the younger man. He made scrambled eggs, buttered toast and waffles. He served Rhys a big plate and watched as the younger man dug in frantically, he hadn’t realized how hungry he was until there was food right in front of him.

After they had finished their meals, Jack had carried him into one of the bigger bathrooms and set him down on the counter. He gently stripped him out of his clothing and helped him into the bath tub. He started to fill the tub with warm water, soothing bath oils, Epsom salt and bubble bath. Then he stripped himself down and got into the tub with Rhys.

Rhys was quick to crawl into Jack’s waiting arms and rested against the older man. He cuddled against him tiredly and whimpered out words of adoration and love – it was only when Jack had cocked his head at the younger man and asked him to repeat himself that he had realized what he said: He told Jack that he loved him. The realization that he had said that mortified Rhys.

Rhys stiffened and looked at the older man with an alarmed expression spread across his face, “I, I said thank you.” He said, “That’s all that I said.” He added, his voice stuttered out and nervous.

Jack wasn’t buying it, though. No matter how convincingly Rhys had said it, “No, no I heard you say more than that.” He replied, he moved to cup Rhys’ face and pulled it up so that he was made to look at Jack while he spoke. “I heard you say… that you love me.” He said, his voice so low that he was practically whispering to the siren. It was clear to Rhys that he had been waiting to hear Rhys say those words for a very long time.

Rhys had always been too afraid to tell Jack how he truly felt about the older man. He was afraid that he would laugh at Rhys or mock him. So he would always skirt around it. It would always be something that he implied, yet never said… until now. Rhys sniffled, “I did say that.” He said, with a tiny voice.

The next thing that Rhys knew, Jack dove in and kissed him gently on his open mouth. “You know I’ve been waiting for you to tell me that.” He explained as he pulled back, “How many years have we been together? Nearly a decade…” He hummed, “But you never said anything like that… I’m glad that you did though.” He smiled.

“Oh?” Rhys exclaimed in response. “Do you… feel the same?” He asked, hoping that Jack would be able to fill in the blanks.

Jack had a strange expression spread across his face for just a second – Rhys couldn’t quite decipher what emotions that he was feeling then. Then, without anymore warning, Jack grinned and said, “Of course I do. You’re mine, Rhysie. Why wouldn’t I love you, dummy?” He teased.

A blush spread across Rhys’ face. “I guess you have a point.” He replied, feeling stupid all of a sudden. Jack didn’t hold it against him though and decided to move on to washing the younger mans body and hair and letting Rhys wash him in return. They relaxed in the tub for what felt like hours, by the time that they got out their skin was a little prune-y and the air around them was warm and humid.

Later, after they had dried off from the tub and dressed themselves in their pajamas, Jack had taken Rhys into the living room and set up a comfortable space for them to lay on while they watched some movies to get ready for the night – lots of pillows and blankets, as well as some snacks.

“Do your hurts feel better?” Jack asked. Rhys was laying down curled up on his side, with his head in Jacks’ lap. The two of them were watching some pulpy romance movie. Rhys couldn’t really focus too much on the plot, he was too enthralled by the way that Jack was petting and soothing him.

Rhys pouted as he struggled to find the words to answer the older man, “Yeah… for the most part. I can… I was in agony this morning, I can’t even put into words how bad I felt but now… I’m still sore but it’s better.” Rhys replied quietly then he looked at Jack with an innocent expression spread across his face. “Thank you, daddy.” He said genuinely.

Jack chucked and smiled down at the siren. He ran his fingers through the younger mans hair in an absentminded sort of way as a content expression spread across Rhys’ face, “Anytime, baby.” He promised sweetly, “I’ll always be here for you.”

* * *

That night, Rhys lay in bed – tossing and turning around on the large expansive mattress, moving around pillows and kicking blankets so he could finally get comfortable. All to no success. His body was still so sore from the trip to the medical bay. He hobbled out into the study to ask Jack for some help. Jack was sitting at his desk, seemingly pouring over old paper documents and outdated looking Echo logs.

He was wearing glasses and grumbling over them with a grimace spread across his face. Rhys didn’t think that he had ever seen the older man look so… studious. It wasn’t a bad look for him, all things considered. “Rhysie!” Jack greeted, “What’s going on?” He said, “I thought you were in bed.”

Rhys felt his legs start to tremble against the weight of his own body. “I was but I can’t sleep.” The siren replied with a little pout spread across his lips. “Everything hurts too much and nothing feels comfortable.” He explained pathetically.

“Aw, poor kitten. Come over here then, I’ll try and make it better.” Jack called, patting his lap in invitation. Rhys obeyed and move to sit on the older mans’ lap as quickly as he could manage, with as sore as his body still was. Jack wound a hand around Rhys’ waist and held him steady as he rooted through his drawers. “I think I got something for you in here…” He explained.

Rhys watched curiously as Jack procured a thick vial filled with a purplish pink powder. “This should knock you out quick, I had it engineered for me.” He added. Rhys nodded in understanding – sometimes Jack had intense nightmares and an inability to get to sleep no matter what he did. So on occasion he needed some help.

Jack grabbed Rhys’ face and directed him to open his mouth, he pushed his thumb against the younger mans tongue and held it out as he shook a dose of the drug on it. Rhys quickly felt his mouth go numb and his pupils started to dilate. In moments, his eyes began to feel heavy and all he wanted to do was be held and hold onto someone – namely Jack. “Good?” Jack asked.

Rhys slumped against Jack, “Wow…” He said, his tone sounding dazed and drunk. “That… works really fast.” He added, his words started to slur. He rubbed his cheek against Jack’s chest, “It feels really nice. Pink. Purple too…” He said, giggling at a joke that Jack couldn’t understand. He enjoyed how carefree the younger man looked though, he had been so sullen since their last trip to medical and the multiple intense panic attacks that he had suffered through in the last few days.

Jack laughed lowly at the sight of the siren in his arms, Rhys was looking up at him with a very cute and sleepy expression spread across his face. “You ready to go back to bed now?” He asked. Rhys nodded at him in a sluggish manner. “Alright.” Jack hummed, standing up with the younger man in his arms. He carried him back to the bed and tucked him in under the thick blankets. Rhys’ eyes closed as Jack pressed a kiss to the top of his head and wished him goodnight.

* * *

The sirens’ eyes opened to the feel of something thick and cool and slick sliding inside of his cunt. He let out a whine and began to squirm around, only managing to slide it in deeper. He let out a whine as something switched on and it began to vibrate. He was laying on his stomach, his knees were tied together and his hips were raised up high in the air. His cybernetic arm was detached and his flesh arm was tied to something connected to his collar.

He felt hands slide up and down his thighs, then move to grab his ass. “Jack?” He asked. He squeaked as Jack’s hand came down on his ass. Then the older mans’ hands moved to squeeze and touch him, spreading his cheeks wide. “We’ve n-never done anything like this before.” He commented as he wiggled his hips. He gasped as he felt Jack’s slick finger gently push inside of his hole.

“Do you want me to stop?” Jack hummed, teasing his finger in and out of Rhys. All the while the vibrations kept on building up. His cunt was so wet that he was surprised that the vibrator didn’t fall out of him. Jack’s other hand smoothed against his folds, feeling just how wet he was – much to Rhys’ pleasure and embarrassment. “I thought you would like a little surprise, now that you’re feeling better…” He added, his voice low and teasing.

“N-no I didn’t say that.” Rhys replied, a little too quickly. His voice was high and tight. He let out another gasp as Jack’s fingers thrust deep inside of him, hitting… something that made Rhys see stars for a minute. Moans tumbled out of his mouth as those digits continued to insistently grind down on that spot. “Please keep going.” He added sweetly.

“Good.” Jack replied, moving to lean in and whisper. “Cause I don’t wanna stop. In fact, I wanna keep on going until I fucking ruin you, Rhysie. You want that don’t you.” He pressed a kiss against Rhys’ back, “You want me to ruin you?” He purred, all the while his fingers kept on thrusting in an out of him.

“Y-yeah, please…” Rhys whined pathetically, “Ruin me, daddy. I wanna be ruined.” He unconsciously arched his back. Incidentally exposing his holes for the older man in the process – Jack was sure that he had no idea what he was doing, which only made him all the more appealing.

“You’re so dirty, baby…” Jack praised honestly as he unzipped his pants and pulled out his own cock. He began to stroke it to the sight of the younger mans body presented for him. “I love that about you.” He purred, smearing a little more lube over Rhys’ hole. He stretched Rhys out with his fingers patiently, until he was open and gaping for him. “I’m gonna fuck you now, kitten. Take a deep breath for me.” Jack instructed.

“O-okay…” Rhys replied in a tiny voice, before doing exactly what Jack told him to do. The next thing he knew, Jack was slowly, yet insistently thrusting inside of him. He let out a whimper, he had never been filled so much. There was the vibrator in his cunt that was slowly building up to its highest setting and the feel of Jack’s cock stretching him far wider than he had ever been filled. “You feel so much bigger now.” He whined, “You already feel too big for me as it is…”

Jack just laughed under his breath and then thrust his hips forward, inch by inch until he had bottomed out inside of the younger man. Jack thrust in and out of him, more gentle than he had ever fucked him in the entirety of their relationship. Rhys came seconds before Jack did, clenching down so hard on the vibrator that he accidentally pushed it out of his cunt. He whimpered and moaned pathetically as Jack came, filling him up inside. Jack slowly pulled out of him and stuffed a few of his fingers inside of Rhys as he rooted around for something very close nearby.

The siren let out another little whimper as he felt Jack push something thick inside of him, that only got bigger and bigger until it tapered off. Rhys could only guess that it was a thick plug and he couldn’t help but moan at the constant feel of it filling him up, keeping Jack’s cum trapped inside of him. It made him feel filthy… but in a way that he was that he could get addicted to.

The next thing that Rhys knew, he was being flipped onto his back and Jack was cutting the rope off of him. Jack moved on top of him to kiss him on his open mouth, Rhys moaned into the kisses and clung to the older man until he pulled away. “Do you think I can make you come one more time?” Jack murmured in his ear, before he moved down in between Rhys’ spread thighs.

Rhys let out a moan that came out more like a scream as Jack turned the vibrator back on and switched it up to its highest setting. Then he gasped as Jack mouth suckled on his clit, his fingers gently caressing his slick folds the entire time. It didn’t take Rhys long to cum, and when he did, his cum spurted out of him – making a mess all over the place. He had never done that before and it embarrassed him, even though he couldn’t be sure why.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Rhys babbled, his tone filled with mortification at what he had just done. “I don’t… that’s never…” He trailed off with a whine and a shake of his head. Jack didn’t seem to share his embarrassment though and he gathered up a bit of the slick on his finger and sucked it into his mouth. Rhys blushed at that, not knowing what to make of the older mans’ actions.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, sugar.” Jack hummed. “You taste so sweet. I like that I can make you make a mess like this.” He added, implying that he would be doing this to Rhys again, now that he knew that he could. The last thing that Rhys saw before sleep took him once again was the devious grin spread across Jacks’ face as he licked up the mess that Rhys had made all over his face.

* * *

The days where Rhys had the opportunity to see Angel were a blessing and a delightful occasion for the both of them. Both of them being sirens in Jack’s employ meant that they were allowed to be around each other without having to worry about retribution or being manipulated by bandits. Angel’s limited communications with the Vault Hunter was bad enough on its own. Her betrayal was much worse. Jack had only just started to ease the restrictions on her already limited freedoms.

Just in time for her birthday. Rhys had been so excited to see her again, he had gotten her loads of gifts – so many that he couldn’t carry them all on hand with him and had to have his own loader bot come down with him to the Angel core and help him. When he came down to the room with the hulking robot walking behind him, Angel had warily watched it, “Did Jack call it down to take more of my things?” She asked Rhys, before she bothered to greet him.

Rhys laughed and shook his head, “No, these are gifts for your birthday!” He explained, his tone was incredibly cheery and he said it all with a smile spread across his face. “Thanks for helping, LB.” Rhys complimented the bot as he set down the case of goods in front of Angel. Angel eyed it curiously, but didn’t say anything until Rhys had called it to go back to its resting dock back at the penthouse.

“Jack didn’t come, huh?” Angel guessed, looking at the room for any sight of her father. “Good riddance.” She said, “I don’t want to see him anyway.” And Rhys knew that she was painfully sincere about that – she was so angry with Jack that she would be happy if she never saw him, ever again.

“He’s busy.” Rhys said, his voice clipped. Jack had been working overtime as he got closer and closer to victory on Pandora. Soon, he would find the vault and – with Angel’s help – open it, unleashing the beast on the planet and fixing it once and for all. As far as Rhys knew, he was going to be at the office all night, belligerently screaming at whoever was drilling into Pandora to find the vault and find it now.

“I know.” She replied, “I know how it is.” She waved her hand dismissively at the air in front of her body. “Jack is gonna do whatever he wants, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.” She said, her tone grim and filled with misery and disdain for the older man. Rhys didn’t like that.

“He loves you.” Rhys tried to argue, weakly though. “I know that this place isn’t…” He sighed, “It’s not ideal, I know that, but Jack is trying to save the world! Not just the world, the universe, all six galaxies. He wants everyone to be safe and happy.” He explained to her, in a tone that was filled to the brim with hope. With belief in Jack. He gently grabbed her hands and held them tight. “A world without bandits. Don’t you want that?”

In Jacks’ mind, it was all for the greater good. That was what he always said. Everything would be worth it in the end. Angel used to believe that but the excuse was wearing incredibly thin on Angel’s mind. She huffed quietly, “Not if he has to do all of this to me.” She hissed, “And everyone else!”

Rhys smiled nervously, opening his mouth and closing it again. “But he loves you!” He finally said as he took to laughing, just to stave off his anxiety. “What more could you want?” In some ways, Rhys didn’t understand her. Angel wanted freedom, she wanted to be free of Jack in particular – Rhys couldn’t understand that at all. He wanted nothing of the sort,

“That’s not enough!” Angel cried out and, at the wounded look that Rhys gave her in response, she recoiled and pulled back. “It’s not enough that he loves me, don’t you see that? He’s still hurting me, all of the time. All the love in the universe is not worth all of this hurt.” She hissed. Rhys looked at her in alarm, which only encouraged her further. “He hurts you too!” She pointed out, gesturing vaguely at Rhys’ bruised throat, at his heavily marked wrists, at the vulnerable expression spread across his face.

Rhys unconsciously grabbed his throat, his touch light against the bruising there. Angel just shook her head, her eyes were wet with unshed tears. “I don’t understand why you stay with him.” She said, her tone sorrowful and full of sympathy for him. “You could leave him, if you wanted to. You could go away. I could help you if you just let me.” There was desperation in her voice, desperation that Rhys didn’t understand.

“Because I love him.” Rhys replied, “I love him and he takes care of me. He has taken care of me for as long as we’ve been together.” His voice got weaker and weaker and weaker with each word that he spoke. It was clear to Angel that he wasn’t entirely sure of what he was saying.

Angel looked at him with the most miserable look in her big blue eyes. She looked at him with nothing but sympathy in her eyes. It stung him, that she felt so sorry for him. “Oh, Rhys.” She said, her hand moving forward to squeeze Rhys’ flesh hand. He let out a soft gasp at the contact. “Jack doesn’t love you, he doesn’t love me, he doesn’t love anyone other than himself.” She said, her voice getting more and more grim by the second.

Rhys didn’t know how to react to that, on some level he was sure that Angel might have been right about everything that she was saying. Jack was incredibly single minded in his goals. He would toss anyone and everyone to see the universe crafted in his image. He had noble goals, he wanted to change things for the people on Pandora. But how he achieved those goals…his methods made Rhys feel weary. But that didn’t mean that he didn’t love Rhys or Angel, did it?

He struggled to argue against her, his words kept getting caught in his throat. “That’s-” He started to say, only to be cut off by the sound of the door opening. He looked towards the noise and though he wasn’t shocked by the sight of the man in the door, it still made him freeze.

Jack walked through the door and Rhys immediately shut his mouth. He looked at Angel helplessly and in turn Angel looked at her father warily before her gaze dropped down to her hands. “Hey, pumpkins!” He greeted loudly and gregariously as he walked into the room, kissed Angel on the cheek before he meshed himself next to Rhys, snaking his arm around the older siren’s waist. “What, neither of you are gonna greet me?” He asked, a bit of danger in his almost entirely friendly, happy time.

“I didn’t realize you were coming.” Rhys said, a too wide smile spread across his face. “I thought it would just be me and Angel.” He added, because Jack was usually too busy to come and spend as much time with his daughter as he might have liked. So, Rhys usually picked up the slack – though truthfully Rhys didn’t mind having some personal time with her.

“You think I wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to spend time with my little girl on her birthday?” He asked, his voice lighthearted and teasing. “What were you two talking about?” He asked, his grip tightening a bit around Rhys’ waist. It was a warning, and not a very subtle one at that.

Rhys didn’t skip a beat when he replied, “Nothing.” He said, his voice a little too high and he spoke a little too quickly. He had never been a very good liar, but he tried to defend Angel from any retribution at any costs. “We were just talking about the presents that I got her.” He gestured over to the box that he had filled with blankets, books and other comfort items for her. There was even a cake that he had baked earlier that day, an angel food cake – forgive the pun – with whipped cream cheese frosting and sliced fruits decorating it, on top of the box.

Jack responded by diving forwards to plant a few teasing kisses along the slope of the younger mans’ jaw. Rhys giggled at the attention, shaking his head a bit. “Wow, you really went all out for her, huh? I’m jealous.” He hummed in Rhys’ ear. Rhys could feel him smiling against his skin. “You trying to make me look bad, pumpkin, is that it?” He teased.

Rhys blushed deeply, “No, no, of course not…” He replied, giggling a bit as he spoke. “I just…” He sighed and looked toward Angel, who was eyeing Rhys curiously. He addressed her specifically, ignoring the way that Jack held him tightly and pressed sweet kisses to his skin as he spoke to her. “I wanted to make your birthday special, Angel.” He explained, “And there’s so much I wanted to give you, I couldn’t just choose one or two things. So I went a little overboard!” He threw his hands up as if in defeat and smiled at her.

Angel smiled at Rhys genuinely then, “Thank you.” She said as she watched Rhys move to the box and grab the cake. He cut up pieces for all three of them and they all sat and talked casually – the subject of Pandora, vault hunters and vaults in general was deftly avoided.

“Well, this was nice.” She said cordially. She stretched her arms out, pretending to yawn. She smiled at Rhys, “Thank you for all the presents.” She said.

“Wait! You don’t need to throw us out right now.” Jack said insistently, “I got you something.” He said. Rhys smiled knowingly and Angel instinctively started to worry about what it could be. Her father didn’t have a habit of giving her gifts generously, she knew that deep down he viewed her as a monster and he resented her for her mother’s death.

She couldn’t even remember the last time that he had given her a gift or spent time with her in any capacity that wasn’t utilitarian and professional. Some part of her always wished that he would change back into her father, instead of… whatever he was now. “… You did?” Angel asked, her tone wary and hesitant.

“Yeah.” Jack replied, pulling a small box out from his coat. He laid it in Angel’s hand and she looked at it like it was alien, “Don’t open it yet. I’ve got something to say.” He said, “Look, I know that you’ve been suffering here. I know this place isn’t great for you and your body has been through a lot, taking all that Eridium isn’t good for you…” He trailed off and gave Rhys a meaningful look, one that made Rhys blush deeply and look down at his hands. “Rhys is actually the one who kept arguing with me about taking all of your things and locking you up. And you know Rhysie here, he doesn’t argue or put up a fuss about anything. But he did for you. He stuck up for you over and over again.”

“You didn’t have to do that…” Angel said, in a tiny voice to Rhys. She had never expected Rhys to put her over Jack… no matter how much she liked him.

“I wanted to.” Rhys replied, just as quietly.

“Anyway, you can open it now.” Jack said and as Angel opened up the box and eyed it curiously. It looked like medicine. She looked at him with a wary expression as her father continued on with his speech. “That’s gonna help you get better, so that you won’t be dependent on the Eridium any longer. After the vault, we’ll start you on a therapy and I can take you back up to the penthouse. We can be a family again! You, me and Rhysie… how does that sound?”

“After the vault?” Angel asked, her tone grim. Jack didn’t notice the slight drop in her pitch of the subtle narrow of her eyes.

“Yep. You know that’s not too far from now.” Jack said, moving forward to grab her. He hugged her tight, for the first time in years. For the first few moments, Angel was frozen. “We’re so close, we can have everything that we’ve ever wanted. Everything.” He promised.

Angel pulled back and her mouth twisted into an irritable expression, she looked like she was going to argue with Jack – scream at him, break down into tears, do something. But she didn’t do anything of the sort, she just deflated. “Okay. Sounds nice. Thank you.” She replied, her voice was tight and clipped. She brushed a few tears from her cheeks and tried to move on as if nothing had happened.

“You should open some of my presents now.” Rhys offered, eager to break the tension in the room.

“I… maybe later.” Angel replied quietly.

“Oh come on! I wrapped everything up perfectly.” Rhys put his hand together as if in prayer, “Come on please?” He begged her and Angel quickly succumbed to the sirens’ puppy dog eyes. She sighed and rolled he eyes as she walked on over to the box, it opened up easily and she was surprised to see well over ten gifts, all individually wrapped.

“I’ll open a couple now.” She promised, grabbing a handful of boxes to bring back down to the bed. She set them down and began to unwrap them. The first one was an echo comm filled with a bunch of movies and music – Angel had been starved for

The last gift that she decided to open was probably the most simple of them all, but she was transfixed by it the most. It was a thick, leather-bound journal with a complicated looking lock fixed to it. “I’ve noticed you’ve been drawing and writing a lot lately.” He explained, “And I saw this on Helios last time Jack let me go shopping, I thought it would be perfect for you. It’s got a bio-metric lock so no one else can open it except for you.” He smiled.

“Th-thank you, Rhys.” She said, eyeing the plentiful gifts. She smiled at the other siren sincerely. “This is really nice, I mean it.”

Eventually, they really did have to go – which was a shame, in Rhys’ mind. He would have been happy to spend at least a few more hours with Angel, if he could. Jack walked out of the core first, after giving Angel a hug and a kiss. Rhys was hesitant to follow after the older man at first. He turned towards Angel and smiled at her gently.

He opened his mouth to say his goodbyes, but he was silenced as Angel practically bounded up to give him a big goodbye hug. “I’m going to miss you.” She whispered as she held him tight.

Angel hugged Rhys with a vice like grip, like she was trying to squeeze something out of him. “Why would you miss me?” He asked as he gently pried her body off of his – even as she held on tight. “I’m not going anywhere.” He added innocently.

“I know.” She smiled sadly, “You’re not going anywhere. You’ll never go anywhere.” Her voice sounded bitter, filled with resentment that Rhys couldn’t quite understand the source of. He wanted to help her nonetheless. Because she was his friend. Because he cared about her. Because she reminded him of himself in so many ways.

Rhys leaned in and looked at her in a scrutinizing sort of way, “Are you okay?” He asked, “You seem really off today. What’s wrong?” He leaned in and gently squeezed her hand, then he lowered his voice as if he was telling her a secret. “Hey, if something’s happening you can tell me. Okay? Whatever it is that’s happening, I’m sure that we can take care of it.” He promised.

Angel opened her mouth, as if she was going to confess something to him… but then her mouth shut tightly and she readjusted herself. She smiled at him tightly, “I’m fine. You should go.” She reassured him, “Jack’s waiting. You know how impatient he gets.” She urged him, looking past Rhys at her father with a frantic, nervous expression spread across her face.

“O-okay…” Rhys said, though he didn’t seem convinced that she wasn’t upset by… something, something that Rhys couldn’t be quite sure of yet. She was right about one thing, Jack didn’t like to be kept waiting and he had been heavily on edge these days. He didn’t want to upset the older man, so he ran off in his direction and allowed Jack to take him back to the penthouse.

That was the last time that he and Angel had ever spoken to each other, in person or otherwise.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty dark sorry - I already tagged for everything but TW for depictions of self-harm and a suicide attempt as well as mentions of torture.

Rhys lay on the floor, a blanket rolled up behind him. It felt like he hadn’t moved from the spot that he he had been laying in for at least a week even though it had only been hours. On the first day after Angel’s death, Rhys had been despondent and miserable the whole day. He stayed in his place on the floor all day and all night. He didn’t move. He didn’t eat. He didn’t do anything but cry and sleep.

Since he had been told about Angel’s murder, since he heard Jack’s grief filled statements to the citizens of Pandora, since he had watched the older man drag the red haired siren into a cell on Helios and scream obscenities at her until Rhys’ ears were ringing in sympathetic pain. Jack had been busy since then, torturing the siren and forcing her to charge the key for him. So he had very little understanding of just how badly his partner was dealing with it.

Rhys couldn’t bring himself to blame Jack for it though, for as much pain he felt from the loss of the first friend that he had made in what felt like forever, he knew that Jack must have been feeling even worse. Angel was his daughter. She was the only vestige of his family that he had left. And now she was gone and the person that he felt was too blame was sitting in a prison cell, right at Jacks’ mercy.

He was probably torturing Lilith right now, Rhys thought, and though he usually adored to be the center of Jack’s attention, right now he was glad that she was the one that stroked his ire. He didn’t envy her and he couldn’t say that he felt bad for her either. She was a murderer, a cult leader, a bandit and the blame for Angel’s death was most definitely laying at her feet.

By the second day, he was nearly catatonic with grief. He didn’t move, he didn’t eat or drink. His mouth was bone dry but he could hardly be bothered to care. All he did was lay there in sparse clothing and cry his heart out. It was all that he knew how to do these days – cry and cry, until he found himself becoming so exhausted from the action that he was finally granted sleep.

On the third day, he stopped being able to cry. It was like someone had just turned the faucet behind his eyes off. Like there was no water left for him to give. But he still had these intense, dreadful and miserable feelings. He was desperate for something – anything – that could allow him to feel an honest emotion again. Even if it was nothing but negative.

He walked into the bathroom and searched around, rooting through the drawers with a strange sort of drive. It was like he was possessed by this vague need to feel something real again. He only stopped when he pulled out a large shaving blade – he knew it well, this was the one that Jack used. Sometimes, when things were quiet, Jack would have Rhys sit on his lap and shave his face.

But now, now it would have a much different purpose. Rhys grabbed the blade and let his fingers trail over the sharpened edge of it. He let out a gasp as it pricked his finger and a bead of blood trailed down his fingers and the back of his hand. It fascinated him. So he took the blade and used it to slice at his legs, the cuts were not deep but they bled quite a bit and stung.

Rhys smiled, he finally felt something. He felt enough pain that he could cry once more until he finally fell asleep. On the fourth day, he continued to hurt himself and he continued to refuse to eat. He drank very little water, or anything else for that matter. By the end of the day, his legs and stomach were covered with little slices and cuts and he felt like he was entirely broken.

On the fifth day, Rhys woke up to the sight of Jack pulling him into his arms. “Hey, kitten.” He cooed to the younger man, “You look like shit.” He said, totally deadpan. The older man picked him up and carried him easily, Rhys was even lighter than he usually was. That was definitely cause for some concern, but Jack wasn’t sure what he could do about it. Not now, at least.

“I’m sorry.” Rhys replied, “…I haven’t been feeling well since-” He snapped his mouth shut before he mentioned Angel. He didn’t want to open up that wound, not now and not ever. “I just… I’ve been having a hard time lately.” He explained quietly, his voice shy and soft.

“I can see that.” Jack said, as he carried the younger man off to the bathroom. He didn’t mean it with judgment in his mind, neither of them had been doing well since Angel had died. He didn’t expect Rhys to be happy after everything that had happened – not even a little bit. The only thing that he felt right now, looking at the siren was sympathy and a need to take care of his needs.

“I’m sorry, I know that I’m a mess.” Rhys replied, a pout had spread across his face. He started to feel guilty, like he didn’t deserve to be so miserable. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He added, as sincerely as he could manage to be, with how awful he felt.

Jack shook his head, “You don’t need to be sorry.” He soothed, “I’m not upset with you, kitten. I’m just… eh, I’m worried, you know?” He explained as he carried him off. “I haven’t seen you for a few days and I come back and…shit, doesn’t matter I guess.” He said, his tone flat and conversational as he brought him into the bath. “I just wanna take care of you, Rhysie, that’s all that matters.” He explained.

Rhys let out a soft sigh and nuzzled his bare cheek against the older man, incredibly soothed by his touch. “Thank you, daddy.” He mumbled so lowly that he was almost sure that Jack couldn’t even make out the words. But surprisingly to Rhys, Jack heard him loud and clear.

“Aw, you’re welcome, baby.” Jack cooed in response. He carried Rhys to the bathroom and made him stand in front of him as he helped him undress. Rhys held his breath as Jack took in the sight of his naked body. He noted all the cuts and bruises all over his body. Rhys squeezed his eyes shut and looked away from the older man, “You’ve been hurting yourself.” He spoke dryly.

Rhys felt ashamed of himself, he had scarred up his body and left it littered with cuts and bruises – he looked like he had been the loser of many fights. He looked terrible. He looked ruined. “I, I don’t know what to say, I… I didn’t mean to-” The next thing that he knew, Jack was pressing gentle kisses all over his neck, his teeth nipping his collarbones until every word that he planned to say had died in his throat.

It didn’t take long for Rhys to relax against the older mans touch, his body slumped down and he nearly collapsed because his legs were suddenly as weak as if they were made of jelly. Thankfully, Jack caught him before he fell down on the ground. “Poor thing…” Jack hummed, “I’ve been neglecting you, haven’t I?”

Rhys didn’t think that there was any good answer to that, so he didn’t say anything. He let himself relax against the older man as he lowered him down into the bathtub and wash him. He loved it when Jack decided to pamper and care for him. After he was done with his bath, Jack helped him dry off and dress in some comfortable silk pajamas.

He walked with Rhys into the bedroom and lay him down on the mattress. Then he moved on top of Rhys and boxed him in his arms, before he leaned down to kiss him. “Are you hungry?” Jack murmured to him, they were so close that he was practically kissing him with each word that he spoke.

“I don’t know.” Rhys admitted. It seemed rather silly to say, but he had positively no idea what his wants were. He couldn’t identify… anything beyond the murky fog of his depression. “It’s hard to tell these days.” He said, with a little shrug and an innocent smile spread across his face. “I guess you can cook me something if you like?” He added, hoping to be accommodating to the older man.

Jack pulled off of Rhys and grinned. “I’ll make us something good.” He promised, “Hearty too, you look like you need a little meat on your bones.” He added with a vicious grin. Rhys smiled in an encouraging manner as he was rewarded with another sweet kiss. “Stay here and rest, I’ll get you in a few moments. Alright, kitten?” Rhys nodded and allowed Jack to walk off back to the kitchen.

Rhys sighed and closed his eyes, allowing himself to nap away – feeling totally content for the first time in a long time. When he opened his eyes again, Jack was pressing a gentle and loving kiss to his lips. He smiled and kissed the older man back, wrapped his arms around Jack’s neck so he could pull him in a little bit closer and deepen their kiss.

Jack pulled Rhys into his arms again and helped him to his feet, the two of them walked into the dining room hand in hand. There was piles and piles of different kinds of foods there. There was smoked meats, mashed potatoes, salads and a few sweet foods – namely sliced up fruits and cream puffs.

The next thing that Rhys knew, Jack picked him up and pulled him into his lap. Rhys let out a soft gasp as he felt Jack pulling down his pajama pants and underwear before he spread out Rhys’ thighs wide. At first, Rhys tried to ignore it, he slowly began to eat some of the food that Jack had piled up on his plate for him. But it quickly became difficult. Jack unbuttoned his top as well and began to pinch and pull at his nipples until they were hard and sensitive to the touch. “W-what are you doing?” He asked, his voice shaky and out of breath already from the older mans ministrations.

Jack didn’t stop, with one hand he kept teasing and prodding at the sirens nipples while the other hand dipped lower down his stomach, “Shh, be a good boy and keep eating. I wanna take care of you sweetheart, in every single way.” Jack soothed, his voice low in his ear. Rhys let out a little moan and leaned his head back as Jack’s fingers teased against his folds to spread his cunt open.

Rhys took a bite of the mashed potatoes as Jacks’ fingers lazily circled his clit, easily making the younger man wet and slick from the attention that Jack gave him. Rhys whined and squirmed as Jacks fingers teased over his folds again. “Keep eating.” Jack reminded him, surprisingly patient.

Rhys began to shakily cut up the grilled chicken breast as he felt Jack’s finger slide inside of him, he heard a wet squelching noise as he thrust his thick fingers inside of him. “Jack, you’re doing too much…” Rhys whined, his voice high and tight. “It’s so overwhelming…” He added, his voice barely more than a desperate, sex filled whimper.

Jack chuckled against his neck, “You love it, Rhysie, I know you do.” He crooned, his fingers thrusting deeply inside of him. He crooked his digits in a manner that made him see stars and lights dance across vision. Rhys kept on eating his meal and by the time that he had finished off his plate, he was so wet that he was leaking all over Jacks’ pant leg and dizzy – right on the edge of orgasm.

“Are you full?” Jack asked, his voice low in his ear. Rhys nodded, he let out a whimper as Jacks’ hand smoothed against his stomach. Rhys nodded and whined lowly. Jack responded to that by turning him around and kissing him gently and quickly. He lay Rhys down on the table, a foot away from all of the food and leftover plates. Jack spread Rhys’ legs wide and moved down in between his thighs to press kisses against his clit.

Jack knew Rhys’ body well, he knew what he liked – he knew exactly how to make the younger man whine and gasp in pleasure, how to make him sing just from a few swipes of his tongue. Rhys let out a gasping moan and ran his fingers through the older mans’ perfectly coiffed hair as Jack worshiped Rhys’ cunt and clit with his tongue. It didn’t take Rhys long to come with one more cry of the older mans name. Then Jack stood up and pulled out his own cock, he was already hard and leaking a bit of pre-cum onto his own hand as he guided it towards the sirens’ slick folds.

“I’ve missed you, kitten.” He purred down to the siren, “I’ve missed being with you, talking to you and working with you…” He kissed Rhys again, “I missed fucking you too, maybe most of all that.” He said with a cheeky grin spread across his face. He hummed in a satisfactory manner as he teased his cock against Rhys’ slick cunt and slowly thrust his cock inside of the younger man.

Rhys whined as he felt himself stretched around the older mans’ sizable cock, it had been a bit since they had been together like this – Rhys felt unusually tight, his body not used to the stretch of him. Jack fucked him gently and lovingly, taking his time with the younger man as they made love with one another. Rhys kept his own fingers on his clit, teasing himself, while Jack slowly thrust in and out of him and whispered sweet words in the young mans ear.

Jack held on tight to Rhys as he came inside of him, Rhys was trembling and shaking from the intensity of his own orgasm. It took them a few minutes of rest in the afterglow of their mutual orgasms. By the time that Jack lay him down to bed to finally go to sleep that night, Rhys felt so good that it was almost like he was a whole new person. For a moment he wondered if he could get better. If he could move past Angel’s death and recover. If he could do that… then maybe he could do anything. Jack stayed with him all night, holding him while he slept and kissing away his tears every time that they returned to him.

On the sixth day, Rhys’ mood started to improve. He got up that morning and got back into the swing of things with his morning, he had taken a shower and made himself some breakfast. He had cleaned up the penthouse and forced himself to enjoy taking some personal time for himself. He almost tricked himself into thinking that he was going to get better after this, that he could move past all of this.

But on the seventh day, the limited up swing of his mood had deflated and he had crashed even harder than he had before. He didn’t move away from the spot that he had woken up in, he just stared at the wall and cried until his eyes were burning and his mouth was so dry that he could taste his own blood pooling in the back of his mouth.

On the eight and final day, the pressure that had been filling up inside of Rhys finally began to boil over and spill all over on the floor in front of him. He had never felt so low in his life, out of every horrid thing that he had already been made to deal with, this had to be the worst. Or maybe it was just the final straw that broke him, after a lifetime of tragedies and misfortunes heaped upon him.

Either way, some part of Rhys knew exactly what he needed to do to make the pain that tore at his insides and wrought havoc upon his soul to finally stop. He moved like he was possessed as he got everything ready. He only needed three things – some strong sleeping pills, a whole lot of hard liquor and… a note to explain himself, explain why he did what he did, to Jack.

His note was simple, more of an apology than anything else. And it went as thus: “Jack, I am so sorry. I know how selfish this is, to do this to myself and I don’t wish to hurt you. This is not your fault and I don’t want you to think that it is. But I don’t know how to stop feeling like this – this misery and grief has a gravity, it is heavy and it holds me down. I can’t even lift my head most days. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. If I could apologize to you a hundred or even a thousand times I would. I wish I could be a stronger person for you.”

Rhys didn’t like the note, didn’t like how it sounded. It was a terrible send off. But he couldn’t think of anything more meaningful to say and he didn’t want Jack left with the impression that he did this to spite him or because it was his fault. It wasn’t anyone's fault really – not even Rhys’. He just couldn’t take it anymore, he wanted everything to stop and this was the only way that he knew how to get what he wanted. He decided to put it in an obvious place, on the table close to where he would rest. Then he got himself ready. He drank nearly a fifth of the first bottle of liquor before he started to take the pills. He took a few at a time, incrementally until the bottle of pills was through.

As soon as he began to feel intense pain and an even more intense tiredness, he knew that they were working. He lay himself down on the floor and wrapped himself up in the blankets, hoping to fall asleep quickly. Even through all the agony that he felt, Rhys began to fall unconscious. He just hoped that he would die quickly.

Rhys hadn’t accounted for Jack coming home within the hour so. He hadn’t accounted for the older man to wander around the apartment, calling for him. He hadn’t accounted for Jack to find him half dead on the floor and he certainly hadn’t accounted for the panic that would spread through Jack at the sight of Rhys’ body.

“No.” Jack muttered to himself as he looked down at the younger man and the pills and liquor all strewn around him. “No, no, no… Rhysie you can’t do this.” He snapped, starting to panic at the sight of his partner on deaths door. His only hope was that the younger mans’ body was stronger than his will to live. So, he picked Rhys up and put his head to the younger mans’ chest, hoping for a heart beat. It was feint, but it was there. Rhys let out a soft, near pained moan as he was moved around.

“It’s okay, it’s okay baby.” Jack soothed, smoothing back Rhys’ hair from his face. “It’s okay, I’ll fix you I promise. I will save you. Do you hear me? I’ll save you.” He promised. And then he was out the door of the penthouse, running to find some help for the siren that he had come to care for so deeply.

Jack ran for what felt like miles with Rhys in his arms as he carried him off to the medical bay. Rhys couldn’t die, he told himself. He couldn’t die. Not after Angel, not after everything they had been through. When he finally got there, he was so tense and filled with nerves that the minute that one of the doctors politely asked him, “What seems to be the problem, Handsome Jack?” He immediately pulled a gun on the man and demanded that they clear their nicest room for the young man in his arms.

One brave nurse walked forward slowly, putting her hands up as though in surrender, “Okay. We’ll take care of this, Handsome Jack, if you would just put the gun down so you don’t hurt your… friend.” The nurse said, trying not to sound as nervous as she looked. “Okay… someone go, get a cot and a respirator for the patient.” She directed the others’ around her. They were all quiet and still for just a moment before they all sprung into action.

Rhys was quickly loaded onto a hospital cot and hooked up to machinery that would keep him stable while they pumped his stomach and oversaw the rest of his care. Jack walked with them the whole time, keeping an eye on them so they didn’t do anything to hurt Rhys. Anyone could be a traitor, he reminded himself. Any one of these idiots could be a bandit or a spy – he kept Angel a secret for a good reason, but he didn’t have that luxury when it came to Rhys.

The doctor looked at Jack with a forcibly calm expression spread across his face, “He’s going to need some very intensive care. It might do you well to try and relax.” He urged Jack in as polite a tone as he could manage. He was obviously frightened

“No.” Jack snapped, his protective instincts kicking him into overdrive. “I’m not leaving him.” He said very firmly. “He’s mine. And I won’t-” He growled, cutting himself off in the process. “Just fuck off and focus on keeping him alive. This is my hospital, my fucking space station and I’ll stay where I fucking please.” He hissed, getting more and more angry by the moment.

“Sir-” The doctor said, hoping to placate his superior by any means necessary, “Of course you want to be by your friends side, but we’re going to need to do some very intense… some would say gruesome procedures in order to save him.” He said, “It’s not something you’d want to see-”

“Fix. Him.” Jack snapped, jabbing his finger in the doctors chest harshly as he spoke. “That’s all I’m asking you to do. It is very fucking simple. You will keep him alive and I won’t end terminate your very existence, got it?” The doctor nodded, a shocked expression spread across his face. Jack waved his hand at the entire room. “And that goes for all of you! If he doesn’t make it then neither do any of you… or your families.” He warned them dangerously.

Every person in the room went into overdrive to make sure that Rhys survived this incident, all the while Jack took a seat near his bed and watched them with a vicious, distrusting expression spread across his face. He watched the doctors like a hawk, making sure that they didn’t do anything to hurt the siren any further.

Jack stayed for at least a few hours, sitting by the younger mans side. It was only when all of the procedures where done and he was in stable condition that he called his Vice President to keep an eye on the siren – with one more lowly spoken threat about what would happen to him if Rhys didn’t come out of this feeling okay.

After he left the medical bay, Jack decided to do something to forget everything that had happened – he needed to forget, even if only for a few hours, the anxiety and misery that he felt at the prospect that he might lose Rhys. He couldn’t lose the siren and the thought terrified him.

He went to a bar on one of the outer Helios stations and ran an open tab of drinks. By the time that he left the bar, he was so drunk that he could barely hold up his own weight and he had snorted so many crushed up promethean mushrooms that he couldn’t even feel his own face.

* * *

Jack staggered around drunkenly as he made his way down to the prison that had been constructed for his most dangerous prisoners. He had intended to lock up Eridians and war criminals, people that made even him feel wary. But right now there was only one person locked up in those cells…he hoped that that Fire-hawk bitch was lonely in her cell. It was the least that she deserved for what she did to him.

He walked up to her cell, less gracefully than he might have otherwise. He stumbled around as he opened the door and snapped the cell shut, locking it tight. “Hey child killer,” He said, a cruel grin spread across his face. “Did you miss me?” He asked, spreading his arms out in a haphazard manner like he was a prize that was on display.

“Fuck, you smell like a brewery.” Lilith commented, levying him with a gaze filled with disgust and contempt. She was oddly calm, although she suspected that she knew why Jack was here. He was here to hurt her, he was here to cut her and hit her, he was here to burn her body knowing that it would easily heal. He was here to blame her for all of his problems and there was nothing that she could possibly do to stop him.

“You know what happened to me today?” He asked rhetorically, not waiting even a moment for her to answer before he continued on. “My partner, my Rhys tried to hurt himself because of what you did to Angel. He nearly died and it’s all because of you.” He accused, his voice getting lower and more dangerous by the second.

“So?” She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive manner as she spoke. “That isn’t my problem. He probably just killed himself to get away from you, just like your-” Lilith didn’t get to finish her sentence though, because the next thing that she knew she was being thrown onto the ground and Jack was on top of her, with his hands wrapped around her throat.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” He snapped as she clawed at his hands in a desperate attempt to get him off of her. He slapped her across the face and she cried out in an uncharacteristically vulnerable sort of way as he struck her. “The only reason that I haven’t killed you yet is because I need that vault.” He smiled in a cruel and capricious manner.

Jack decided that the only way that he would feel better about this was if he got his pound of flesh out of her. But no matter what he did to her, if he slapped or kicked her, if he stabbed her or sliced open her skin and let her bleed, nothing that he did made him feel any better. Nothing would ever make him feel better until Rhys was back safe and sound, alive and happy in his arms. Without realizing it at first, he dropped her and she quickly scurried away.

Lilith eyed him warily, her hand moving towards the collar wrapped around her neck. For a second or two, she tried to pull it off of her so it wouldn't control her anymore. So she could strike back out at Jack for the first time in years, so she could do what she should have done so many years ago and kill him. In Lilith’s mind, it would be good for everyone – especially for her – if Handsome Jack was rotting in a shallow grave. But the collar didn’t come off of her. It was like it had been fused around her throat and the feeling it gave her to be trapped made her feel even more helpless than the beating that she had just suffered.

She watched him with barely disguised hatred and – to her own disgust – fear in her eyes as he circled around the room and locked her back in her cell. Jack didn’t even look at her as he closed the door, he didn’t give her anymore cruel words of parting. Nothing. He just walked off.

By this point, he had sobered up a little bit but he was emotionally no better off. Now he just felt miserable and guilty, with the added bonus of blood on his hands. He grumbled to himself and decided to walk back to the medical bay. Maybe if he was lucky, Rhys would have woken up by now, they could go home and be done with this nightmare once and for all.

He walked back into the medical bay and had the doctors direct him to where Rhys was staying – the doctors had taken Rhys into the nicest, most private room in the entire hospital bay and did everything in their power to make sure that he would be comfortable once he finally woke up.

Jack looked over at Blake, who sat at one of the chairs and watched the door. He looked exhausted and that made sense, considering how late it was. “You can go home now, Jimmy. I’ll take over from here on out.” Jack said in as friendly a tone as he could possibly manage with how irritated he was.

Blake got up and dusted off his pinstripe pants, “Have a nice evening sir.” He said politely as he quickly made his way out the door. Jack huffed quietly as he and Rhys were left alone once again and he moved over to the younger mans’ bed side. Rhys looked incredibly peaceful laying there, like he was sleeping instead of just trapped in the comatose sleep that he was in.

Jack moved to press a gentle, loving kiss to Rhys’ forehead. “Don’t worry, kitten.” Jack hummed to the unconscious siren. “I’ll be here by your side and I’ll take care of you.” Then he grimaced and leaned in to wrap his arms around the sirens body. He felt so tiny right then, so little and fragile. It made Jack feel sick with worry and many other confusing feelings. “Do you hear me, Rhys? You can’t die. You’re all that I have left. I can’t lose you, baby. You. Can’t. Die.” Jack stayed by Rhys’ side all night and he vowed to stay by his side every night after that until the siren finally woke from his constant slumber.


	11. Chapter 11

Rhys woke up some weeks later, in a private room in the medical bay. The room was nearly all white, save for calming blue paint spread across the ceiling above him. There was a constant beeping sound that came from behind him that drove him up the wall. He frowned and whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut in a vain attempt to block out the sounds and sights that were overwhelming his senses.

Eventually, he managed to get some back to sleep, freeing him from the anxiety inducing stimulus that surrounded him. From then on, Rhys drifted in and out of consciousness. The third time that he woke up, a nurse was changing his iv. When he looked at her and asked her what she was giving him, she literally gasped and looked at him like she had seen a ghost before she managed to regain her composure. Then she informed him that it was just liquids and nutrients to keep him stable. “You’ve been out for weeks.” She explained, her tone gentle and matronly – like a mother’s would be.

His mind suddenly went back to his birth mother, to losing her and losing his father too. A tear rolled down his cheek and she brushed it away. “Oh.” Rhys exclaimed in reply, “I tried to kill myself.” He remembered. He frowned, suddenly a wave of discomfort rolled over him. He looked down at himself and then back at her. “I tried to kill myself.” He repeated, horrified.

“Yes, you did.” She replied, her tone incredibly patient. She moved over to fluff his pillows before she went back to swapping out his IV – giving him more medicine and fluids. He felt grateful to her for her kindness, even if it was only because she was being paid to care for him. That didn’t change the fact that he felt desperate for the kindness and care that she was providing him right then. “It’s okay though, someone found you before it was too late. You are very lucky to have someone watching out for you like this Rhys, very lucky indeed.” She said, her tone of voice incredibly complimentary.

“Jack…” Rhys muttered to himself, suddenly feeling very dizzy and tired. It could have only been Jack who saw him in the penthouse and sprung into action. The nurse nodded and smiled as Rhys’ vision blurred once again and his consciousness faded.

The next time that he woke up, he couldn’t move any of his limbs and it took him a few moments to realize that they were bound up in thick leather locks. The only part of his body that he could move was his head and he turned every which way to see who or what was in the room with him. He didn’t know whether he should be relieved or frightened to see Jack.“Oh good.” Jack greeted, in a jovial tone of voice, “You’re finally awake.”

Rhys whimpered in fright as he tried to move out of the shackles. Jack lifted up the sheet thin hospital gown, leaving his naked body on display for Jack and anyone that might decide to walk in on them. His fingers’ stroked Rhys’ bare stomach gently, in a way that left the siren feeling ticklish. “Those cuffs are there to protect you.” He explained.

Rhys bit his lip, “Protect me from who… or what?” He asked. His head felt like it was full of cotton balls, his sight was blurry from the fluorescent lights that were over his head, his entire world was discordant and confusing. At that point, he wasn’t sure what had happened that had landed him in the hospital in the first place. He wasn’t sure why Jack look so concerned and agitated with him.

“You.” Jack reminded him, a flash of anger coursing through his eyes for just a scant moment before he eased up. “They’re there to protect you from yourself.” He reiterated. “You remember what you did to yourself, don’t you Rhysie?” He asked. Rhys shook his head, “Baby, you hurt yourself.” He reminded, strangely patient about all of this. “You nearly killed yourself. You almost succeeded.”

Jack didn’t even come across as truly angry, which made Rhys feel even more wary than he already was. He was eerily calm and Rhys would have preferred it if he was screaming and shouting, ready to lash out at him. It would have made sense. Rhys thought lowly of himself for what he did and it only made sense to him that Jack would feel the same. But he got none of that. He almost sounded sad. “I thought I lost you too.” He said, sounding truly morose at the thought of Rhys dying. “I almost did, you took so many of those pills…. They told me that you would have died if I came in even minutes later. You know that you were in a coma for days? We had you hooked up to life support, but I thought you were never gonna wake up. I thought you were as good as dead.”

Then it all came crashing back to him, the memory of how miserable Rhys had been and the bleak things that he had done to combat those feelings. He hadn’t felt that way in a long time. “I’m sorry.” He whimpered, “I don’t know why I did that. I don’t think I wanted to die. I just… I wanted all of it to stop.” He said and was grateful that Jack didn’t ask him what he meant by that. “Please don’t be mad at me.” He pleaded, his voice tiny.

Jack responded by stroking Rhys’ bare thigh, as if to comfort him. It was a small gesture, but it filled Rhys with some hope. “No, I’m not mad at you, pumpkin.” He replied, his tone surprisingly gentle and reassuring to the siren. “You know who I’m really mad at?” He asked, “That Fire-hawk bitch.” He hissed, “It wasn’t enough for her to kill my daughter-”

Rhys cringed and winced at the mere mention of Angel. The two of them had both been dealing with her death in very different ways. While Rhys had become despondent and depressed from the loss of her, Jack had been overcome with an all consuming rage, a fire that burned and burned at him. “No. She couldn’t have just hurt Angel. She had to go and hurt you too.” He hissed.

Then Jack’s hands were on his face, thumbs caressing Rhys’ cheek with a gentleness that he hadn’t been capable of in a long time. “I was distracted with her.” He confessed quietly, “So I couldn’t take care of you.” Jack hummed, “But you know what? That doesn’t matter anymore, none of that matters anymore and it’s all in the past now. I got her locked up so she can charge that key full time…and that means that I’ve got time and energy to take care of you.” He purred. “In every way possible.”

Rhys smiled at him and looked up at the older man with an incredibly innocent expression spread across his face, in Jack’s mind it should have been illegal to look so sweet after everything that he had been through and done, “How do you mean?” He asked, even more sweetly.

It made Jack want to coo and press little kisses all over that sweet, cute face. But instead he moved to sit at Rhys side, “What I mean is that I will take you home and spend some time with you, I will give you all of my attention and care until you are better.” He explained. Then Jack leaned in close, “But you have to promise to behave, and you have to promise that you will never hurt yourself like that ever again.” He explained, his voice low as a rumble in Rhys’ ear.

“I, I promise!” Rhys said, nodding his head frantically as Jack’s hands stroked his thigh in a manner that was both gentle and withholding. The older mans’ fingers gently stroked his bare skin in an intimate fashion. “I won’t do anything like that ever again, I promise! Please believe me.” He said, his face began to heat up and his cheeks had taken on a flushed hue as he bared his soul to Jack. “I didn’t… I don’t want to… I mean I never meant-” He sighed, struggling to come up with the right words to explain what he meant to the older man. All he could do was hope that Jack would be understanding and patient with him.

“I know, kitten, I know.” Jack soothed, patting his knee as he spoke. “You didn’t mean to harm me, I know. And I don’t blame you for it. You understand me?” He asked, “None of this was your fault. And we’ll get through this.” He promised, more sincere about that than he had been in a long time.

Rhys smiled genuinely at the older man, “I hope we do.” He replied. He wanted to move past this, to get better and move forward. His brush with death had changed his perspective, even if just a little bit and he wanted to move forward and see what Jack would do with Pandora. He wanted to live, more than he ever had in his life – he wanted to experience things and enjoy himself again.

Maybe that was what Angel would have wanted from him, he told himself, even as a prying and annoying little voice in the back of his head reminded him that – Angel would have wanted him to leave, that was what she had begged him to do the last time that she saw him and he remembered how desperate she had looked as she told him to go. But Rhys couldn’t do that, he simply could not bring himself to leave Jack – Jack was the first person that he had allowed himself to love. He couldn’t let that go, not now.

Jack moved down to cup his face and turn it towards his own. He pulled Rhys in for a sweet kiss that Rhys easily returned, “I’m going to untie you.” Jack hummed as he pulled away from the kiss. Rhys was glad to hear that and waited as patiently as he could to undo the bindings on Rhys’ ankles and wrists. Rhys’ limbs were as weak as jelly and they fell down limply onto the bed underneath him.

Jack moved to sit on the cot next to Rhys. “I missed you, kitten.” He purred in the younger mans ear. Rhys hummed and curled up against him, all the while Jacks’ hand trailed down his stomach and thighs in an admiring fashion. “I have missed kissing you in the morning, I have missed being with you at night, I have missed having you in my bed, I have missed making you breakfast and watching movies with you.” He cooed, “I missed you so much, Rhysie, I’ll be so glad to have you back.”

Rhys felt himself growing warmer and warmer with each bit of praise that Jack threw his way. He could feed on the sort of sweet talk that Jack liked to extol onto him. “Thank you…” Was all that he could manage to say, without his tongue getting tied up and twisted with nervous stutters and a total loss for words. “I… I missed you too. I missed you very much.” He said, with incredible sincerity.

Then Jack moved on top of him and Rhys let out a little gasp from the shock of it, “You know what else I missed?” The older man hummed in his ear. He pressed a kiss to the shell of Rhys’ ear and moved down to press little kisses against the slope of his neck, “Go on, guess.” He urged.

Rhys smiled coyly and pressed against the older man, “I’ve got no idea.” He said with a mockery of a shy tone of voice. Jack let out a little laugh and kissed the younger man passionately. Rhys let out a little whimper and leaned into the kiss. Rhys wrapped his legs around Jacks hips and leaned in to press himself further against the older man.

Jack let out a groan and pulled away from the kiss. “You know just what to do to drive me crazy, don’t you kitten?” He purred in the younger mans ear. Rhys giggled quietly, hoping to stir Jack into doing something more intense with him. Sadly it was in vain. Jack kissed him again, “I have to go now. You still need a bit more rest and care here.” He said, his voice sour at the prospect of leaving the younger man. “But I’ll be back for you tonight. And I will clear out my schedule and take very good care of you for as long as you need me.” He explained.

“Oh.” Rhys replied, hoping that he didn’t come across as disappointed or ungrateful. “I hope you have a good day out there.” He said, hoping to wish him well on his way out.

“Hm, a good day is a bit much to ask for these days.” Jack replied in a half teasing manner. “Things are real fucking tense right now.” He explained in an offhanded sort of way.

“Well, at least promise not to strangle any interns.” Rhys replied with a weak, amused little smile spread across his face. “If you keep doing that they might stop wanting to come work at Hyperion.” He added in a teasing manner.

Jack laughed and grabbed Rhys’ flesh hand. Then he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to the delicate palm of Rhys’ hand. “I will make sure to do my best, cupcake.” He promised. He patted Rhys’ cheek in a friendly manner before he walked out the door of the hospital room.

Rhys sighed and lay his head back down on the cot, forcing himself to calm enough to fall back asleep without any need of more chemicals being pumped in his system. He had many strange dreams when he slept – dreams of hope, dreams of death, dreams of loss and dreams of the many people that he had left behind. Rhys didn’t want to think about what these dreams meant, he would much rather forget them altogether.

Later, he would find that Jack kept his word and took very good care of every one of Rhys’ needs as he recovered from the physical and emotional turmoil that his suicide attempt had caused. By the time that Rhys was feeling better, the two of them were much closer than the two of them had ever been before.

* * *

By the time that Rhys had recovered enough from his suicide attempt to be permitted to leave the penthouse and walk on his own two feet again, the depression and despondency that he had felt had morphed into anger and rage. He hated the Fire-hawk with just as much as passion as Jack had always hated her. She, Lilith, had taken Jack’s daughter and the only real friend that Rhys had made in years away from the two of them. And for that she deserved to suffer, suffer and suffer some more until she had been punished enough that she would be permitted a reprieve by death.

Jack noticed the anger that had the siren seething and decided to take advantage of it. Rhys’ anger was morphed from grief and the heavy anxiety of loss, more than that… it was justified. And you could do a lot with justified anger, Jack knew that best out of everyone. So he decided to take Rhys down to Lilith’s cell and see what would happen when he directed that righteous anger at just the right target.

Jack walked with Rhys down the halls of the prison where Lilith was being held. “This place is so barren.” The younger man commented in blasé fashion as Jack led him along. “It looks… haunted, doesn’t it?” He asked, an amused little smile spread across his lips.

“Yeah, well the thing is we usually don’t keep prisoners around for long.” He said, “We execute them quickly, I guess that Lilith’s the first we’ve had to deal with in a long time.” He explained, his tone of voice flat and deadpan – like he was incredibly bored by everything that had happened.

“Lilith?” Rhys asked, looking at Jack with a curious expression. “Is that who we’re going to see?” He guessed. Jack hadn’t told him much about where they were going – which was not unusual, he often took Rhys places without letting him know any of the context. Though Rhys didn’t often like to be surprised, he had become accustomed to it over the years. It was just something that he had to put up with, because Jack wasn’t likely to change anything about it and he loved the older man a little too much to expect or need him to change.

Jack stopped walking and turned on his heel to address the younger man, he eyed Rhys with an inscrutable expression. “Of course we are.” He said with a wicked grin spread across his face.

Something about that look sparked a thrill inside of Rhys and it took him more than a moment to push that feeling away. “Why?” Rhys asked, an innocent expression spread across his face. “Why would we go and waste our time with her?” He asked.

“I thought that, after everything that had happened…” Jack replied, looking about the place. “You might want to see her punished. Painfully.” He explained with a little shrug, “I thought that it might make you feel better. Always works for me.”

“Oh. I see…” Rhys exclaimed, unsure of what he thought about that. “Would you want me to assist you?” He asked. If Jack wanted him to, he would do anything – even if the thought made him feel a little squeamish.

“If you want to, kitten.” He promised, “Or if you like, you can just watch and give me pointers.” He added in a joking manner. Rhys nodded, pretending not to be nervous as they walked into the cell. The cell was almost entirely barren, Rhys noticed, other than a too small cot and a tray with some stale looking food, that had barely been picked at before being tossed aside, placed upon it.

Jack spread his arms out and grinned cruelly, “Rise and shine, Lilith!” He said, “Did you have good dreams, thinking about murdering innocent children and burning them to death?” He asked rhetorically, leaning down towards her like she was a child – a slow one at that.

“Fuck off, Jack.” Lilith replied as she straightened herself up, her tone of voice annoyed. Then she eyed Rhys with something like disdain in her eyes. “I see you brought your pet siren.” She noted, her lip curling in distaste for the both of them.

“I’m not a pet.” Rhys replied in a deadpan, annoyed tone of voice. “Besides, your the one locked in a cage.” He added venomously. Jack chuckled and stepped towards her, ready to begin his assault on the sirens already battered body.

Rhys watched, transfixed, as Jack grabbed Lilith and reared his hand back to strike out at her. Jack was always quite a sight whenever he got in a fight. Rhys loved to watch him in action, it was always an incredibly romantic sight. Even when he was being nothing but sadistic towards his opponent. Jack attacked her with a hateful sort of energy and Rhys could easily see why he hated her so much – after everything that had gone down between the two of them.

Lilith and Rhys had met a few times before – but only briefly – their paths had crossed when they had both been on Elpis, at the time, Rhys hadn’t thought much of her other than the fact that she seemed to be way too similar to Jack for the two of them to ever get along for a very long time. Both she and Jack were brash people, both of them had very strong personalities and they clashed.

Rhys had thought that it was only a matter of time until one of them betrayed the other, until a blood feud started on Elpis of the likes that no one in the galaxy had experienced before. Turns out that he was right… though he really wished that he had been wrong. Things might have been better if he was wrong. Maybe if he was wrong then none of this would have ever happened. Maybe if he was wrong, Jack wouldn’t be such a fearsome sight. Maybe if he was wrong, they wouldn’t be quickly approaching an end for many people on Pandora.

Rhys frowned as Jack walked forward and pulled the siren out of his spiraling thoughts with a sharp pull of his arm and a quietly spoken hiss of the younger mans’ name. “Yes, Jack?” He asked, looking at Jack with a forcibly calm expression spread across his face.

Jack pulled him close, “I asked if you were alright.” He explained patiently, “Are you?” He asked, his patience quickly running thin as he eyed the younger man with worry in his eyes.

“Yeah.” Rhys replied, with a tight voice. “I’m fine.” He promised, then he looked towards Lilith. “She isn’t though.” He commented in a blasé sort of way as he eyed the siren. She was bruised and bleeding from everything that she had endured in the past hour. He noticed that she was clutching her arm and he wondered if she had sprained it in the fight.

“Eh, she’ll be fine.” Jack replied dismissively, “All that Eridium she’s got in her system will fix her right up. And if her arms are a little stiff, so what? She won’t need them for much.” He said, his tone of voice was vicious and cruel.

“Yeah, but could you just send down some medical supplies anyways?” Rhys asked, pressing a hand to the older mans chest. “Please. For my sake.” He added. “It would make me feel so much better if you did.”

Jack didn’t reply at first, he just looked at Lilith with that hateful expression spread across his face, then he looked at Rhys. “Alright.” He said, “I’ll send someone up to give her a hypo and a splint or something.” He said, rolling his eyes like this was some terrible bother for him. “Just because you asked me to and you get everything you want.” He promised, cupping the younger mans face.

Lilith pretended to vomit, “God, get a room.” She snapped at them, though her words had much less bite than they might have otherwise because she was so weak.

Rhys pointedly ignored her, “Can we go home now?” He asked, looking at Jack with pleading puppy dog eyes. “I’d like to be with you alone.” He added suggestively. Jack laughed and squeezed the younger mans hips. The two of them left the cell, and left Lilith to sit and stew in her own loneliness as they went off to have a romantic night with one another.

* * *

Rhys was laying in bed naked, his cheek pressed against Jack’s bare chest. Jack had his arm wrapped around Rhys’ waist, holding the younger man close. He had… strange, mixed feelings about what had happened hours earlier, when Jack had taken him to see Lilith. Seeing her was not much of a bother though, other than the fact that he felt a sickness in his stomach when he looked at her, but what they did once they had gotten there – Rhys had no idea how he should feel.

On the one hand, he was angry with Lilith. He felt – in the same way that Jack did – that she was at fault for Angel’s death. If it weren’t for her and the rest of the vault hunters, maybe Angel wouldn’t have come to them to aid her. He felt viciously towards her. Hateful even.

On the other hand, he really hadn’t enjoyed the bloodshed and violence, he rarely did. He didn’t have the disposition for it, not like Jack did. Anytime that he tortured or snapped out at anyone it was either an act of self defense or something that Jack had ordered him to do. It was never for his own pleasure.

He wasn’t even sure how he could train himself to feel any sort of pleasure from doing violence, he hoped that it wasn’t something that Jack would expect of him. Rhys had been sitting up for so long, thinking on the horrid subject that Jack took notice and decided to see what was wrong with the younger man. “Rhysie?” Jack hummed, gently grabbing Rhys around the waist and pulling him back down so that he was laying his head on his chest. “What are you doing sitting up?” He asked and then he added, with mock disappointment in his voice. “It’s real late, kitten. You should be asleep.”

Rhys frowned and looked at Jack with a pitiful expression spread across his face, “I… I’m sorry,” He replied, his tone apologetic. “I’ve just been thinking.” He said, “It’s keeping me up, I didn’t mean to wake you though.” He explained, in a sincere fashion.

“About…” Jack lead him along, looking at the younger man with an uncharacteristically patient look spread across his face.

Rhys pursed his lips, “About what we did to Lilith today.” He explained, his voice clipped and so quiet that Jack could barely hear him.

“Oh. That.” Jack exclaimed, seemingly shocked that Rhys would even remember it hours later. “Why are you wasting your time thinking about that?” He asked, “It’s not like she’s innocent or anything.” He added in an almost defensive manner. “And she probably would have done worse to me or you if the shoe was on the other foot.”

“I don’t know.” Rhys pouted as he tried to explain what was going through his head right then, “It’s just… I don’t know, doesn’t it feel wrong to do that?” He asked, “To hurt people like that?” He added, for clarification. A part of Rhys wondered if he was being too sentimental, he didn’t even know Lilith beyond a few uncomfortable encounters, her name and the knowledge of what had happened on Elpis and on Pandora several years later.

Jack scoffed, “No.” He said firmly, “Why would it? She killed my daughter. I feel nothing for her.” He explained, his voice low with resentment and anger at her. “Nothing but hatred and contempt. If she suffers a bit before the vault, I don’t really care.” He shrugged. “In fact, I welcome it.” He added with a cruel grin spread across his lips.

Rhys hummed in response to that and struggled to find the right words to explain what he meant, “I didn’t like watching her hurt.” He explained. “It was upsetting to me. I know that…” He frowned and hesitated to say anything more, “I know what she did and I’m still so angry about it! But the violence…” Rhys trailed off, “I really didn’t like it. Even if it was deserved.” And Rhys truthfully could not be sure if it was deserved but he didn’t feel comfortable sharing that thought with Jack, so he decidedly kept those traitorous ideas to himself.

Jack made an understanding noise and pulled Rhys close to press a kiss to the top of the younger mans’ head, “Of course you didn’t like the violence.” Jack replied, his voice low and sweet with sympathy and admiration for the younger man. “You are too sweet, of course you feel sorry for her.”

“I wouldn’t say that that makes me sweet.” Rhys replied with a bit of bitterness towards her lacing his voice, even as he voiced his regrets. “It’s just… I don’t know, I feel ambivalent over what I saw.” He explained and then in a desperate attempt to change the subject, “Do you miss her? Do you think about her often?” He asked. “I think about her all the time. I hope she’s happy, wherever she is.” He added, his eyes as wet as his voice was as he confessed this to the older man.

Jack pulled Rhys even closer than he had already been holding him and leaned in very close to whisper in his ear, “I miss her everyday. Every hour. Every minute.” He confessed. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this, in Jacks’ mind Angel was never one of the people that he would ever lose. He had never expected her to do… what she did. He had never expected her last words to be used to call him an asshole. He never expected any of that. Truthfully, Jack didn’t know how to feel about that. He wasn’t sure what that said about him and he wasn’t interested in finding out.

Rhys smiled weakly at the older man, “Do you think she’s happy where she is now?” He asked. Rhys had never been very religious, not even very spiritual, but if there was some kind of afterlife or higher power… he would like to think that she wasn’t being punished.

“I hope so.” Jack replied in so convincingly a manner that Jack was sure he could make himself believe that it was true. “It’s the least that she deserves.” He added ominously. “She should be allowed to be happy, after everything that she’s already been through.” Rhys agreed with that more than he could rightfully put into words. The next thing that Rhys felt was Jacks’ arms enveloping his body tightly. Jack pressed a kiss against the side of Rhys’ neck, “But lets not worry about that now, little kitten, we can worry about that tomorrow.” Jack muttered with a groggy voice.

Rhys let out a sleepy little giggle, it was obvious that he just wanted Rhys to quiet down and go to sleep. Rhys would happily do as he was told though and with little more than a few moments of Jack stroking his hair in a gentle manner he was fast asleep in the older mans arms.

* * *

Rhys and Jack had been sleeping soundly wrapped up in each others’ arms for hours upon hours when the two of them were woken by a particularly loud and urgent call on Jack’s Echo Comm. Jack grumbled as he slowly woke up to answer the call, rustling the younger man in his arms in the process of doing so.

“Jack?” Rhys mumbled, still mostly asleep. “What’s going on?” He added, his voice thick and groggy with sleep. He sat up and watched the older man root around for his communicator. Jack responded to his pleas with a gentle stroke of the younger mans’ bare thigh.

Jack distractedly answered the call, while Rhys moved to curl up next to him – he was always desperate for close contact and cuddles when he was sleepy. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jack snapped, “You woke us all up. It’s the middle of the night.” He added, as if that was not already obvious.

“I’m sorry sir, w-we did not mean to wake you but there’s been a development.” The Engineer on the other line replied, his voice trembling with more nervousness than Rhys had on his worst days. Jack had that effect on people though – especially when he was angry or when his patience was running thin with someone.

“A development?” Jack huffed, “Where?” He asked for specification. Rhys hummed with sympathy for the Engineer. He had really caught Jack at a bad time and Rhys hoped that this didn’t turn into something more deadly than it should have been. The Engineer just spluttered mindlessly at first and Jack quickly lost his patience with him. “Speak up! What is it?!” Jack snapped.

Rhys grabbed the older mans’ hand to calm him as he didn’t want this to somehow end in violence for someone and, to his surprise, Jack smiled gently and winked at the younger man. Rhys let out a little chuckle at that – sometimes it was hard for Rhys to tell when Jack was just putting on a show for his underlings and when he was being entirely honest in his violent intent.

“Well,” The Engineer replied, forcing himself to sound bolder than he probably truly felt. “The thing is that we might have found the location of the vault.” He said and then Jack shot right up. He pulled himself out of bed and walked out of the room without so much as a word spoken to Rhys about it.

Rhys huffed and watched the door, waiting for the moment when Jack finally returned. When Jack did walk back on the room he had a manic grin spread across his face. He looked like he was ready to do something wonderful or reckless or some insane mixture of the two. Rhys smiled up at Jack shyly, “I’m guessing that it’s good news?” He asked, eyeing the older man with a curious expression spread across his face.

Jack replied with a grin, “Oh it’s way more than just good news.” He assured, Then he moved on top of Rhys and cupped his face to pull him in for a quick, excitable sort of kiss. Rhys looked up at him with an astonished expression spread across his face – at least it wasn’t bad news, he thought with some relief. “Get some rest, kitten.” He ordered as he pulled away, his voice sweet and low with a smug sort of pleasure in his tone. “Cause tomorrow, you and me – we got a date with a fucking vault.”


	12. Chapter 12

The vault was a molten, hot place surrounded by lava and Hyperion machinery that had been there for years and years drilling down to the center of the planet in search of the vault. Now that they were finally here, Rhys was struck by how beautiful it was – there was fire dancing all around him and little embers smoking up the air. Maybe it was just that he hadn’t spent time out in the wild like this in many years, but he thought that he could stay here in this space – soaking up the pleasantness before the vault opened and their lives irreversibly changed – for the rest of his days.

Lilith was leagues above them both, forced high up into the air as she charged the key for them. Her wings were spread out widely and a pained expression was spread across her face. It wouldn’t be long until the key was fully charged and they could finally end this. It was clear to Rhys that being made to help Jack was more painful than anything else that she had endured so far and the fact that she had no choice in the matter must have been horrific to her.

Jack stood with him, in the center of the space. His hands were clasped around his shoulders, looking down at the siren with interest in his eyes. “Are ya ready for battle, Rhysie?” Jack asked, his eyes roving over the sirens body with interest – Rhys was dressed in a sleek looking battle suit, it was comprised a black and yellow leotard decorated with Hyperion’s logo across the front of it as well as flexible black slack

“I think so?” Rhys replied. Jack nodded, his hands moving to clasp around his throat. “Jack?” Rhys asked as the older man began to remove the collar from around Rhys’ neck. “What are you doing?” His voice was filled with tremors as he quickly began to panic, “Y-you know that I need that collar.” He begged with desperation to keep it heavy in his mind. “Please don’t take it away from me.” His voice was so tiny that even he could barely hear the words that sprung from his lips.

Jack cupped Rhys’ face and pulled him in close for a sweet kiss. “I need you at your best right now, kitten.” He explained in a low voice and a comforting tone of voice. “You never know what might happen, if things go badly I need you to be able to fix everything for me. You can do that for me, can’t you kitten?” He hummed sweetly.

“Don’t say things like that.” Rhys interrupted, his tone filled with distress. He refused to think that Jack would ever be put in danger – he couldn’t abide by thoughts like that, they were much too frightening for his sake. Jack put his fingers to the younger mans lips to silence him as he continued on.

“I know you don’t want to hear it.” Jack continued on, his tone strangely understanding. “But you need to know that if something happens – if those bandits somehow get the best of me, or anything like that, I’m gonna need you there.” He explained. “This is the only time I’m ever gonna ask you to do this, you understand right, honey.” His fingers trailed over Rhys’ jawline in an appreciative manner as he spoke to the siren. “Don’t you?” He hummed in a low, sweet voice.

Rhys nodded. “Okay.” He said, his voice tight and wet. “I’ll do my best.” He promised, knowing that his best effort was all that he could ever give the older man.

Jack pulled him in for a short, chaste kiss that Rhys easily leaned into. “Good boy.” Jack praised. He patted Rhys on the shoulder and looked towards the entrance of the vault. “They’ll be here soon.” He said, “You better get somewhere you can snipe them, just like I taught you. I’ll keep your collar safe in my pocket.” He promised, “And you’ll have it back before we go back to Helios.”

Rhys cocked his head at Jack, “How do you know that anyone will find us here?” He asked. It was a fair question – it wasn’t like Jack had loudly proclaimed where the location of the vault was.

“I know everything.” Jack said vaguely and Rhys saw no way that he could disagree with that. “Now go.” He said, shooing the younger man away with his hands. Rhys nodded and quickly burrowed himself up at a vantage point. He loaded up his rifle and got ready for a fight that would surely happen soon. In moments, the vault hunters arrived at the vault – looking angry and tired, but determined to finally finish this once and for all.

Jack felt the same way – he wanted this to finally be over, after everything that they had taken from him, he wanted to grind the vault hunters into the dust and destroy them, their people and everything that they had ever loved. And he would get what he wanted – he would win, he would tear them down and destroy them. His victory was so close that he could taste it, he could feel it licking at his skin like the fiery hot embers that swam in the air.

It didn’t take long for the vault hunters to arrive. They were a mixed bunch, Rhys thought – their group was comprised of a siren, a barely tamed psycho, a teenage girl with a death robot at her side, a gunzerker and a…well, whatever Zer0 was. They were all decked out and ready with their guns at their side, stocked up with ammo and their abilities all fired up to go off at a moments notice. It was clear that they wanted their friend back with them and even more clear that they intended to kill him. Jack wouldn’t let that happen though. There wasn’t a chance that he was gonna let them take his victory from him.

“Hey, you’re right on time.” Jack greeted them, in a falsely congenial manner. “The warriors nearly ready, but before I before I cleans this planet for good-” Jack’s face morphed into a contemptuous expression, filled with vitriol and hatred for them. “I’m gonna avenge my daughter.” He said darkly, speaking so low that it was barely above a whisper.

The next moments went by in a flurry, there was fighting and shooting – all of the vault hunters were trying their best to take Jack and his troops down, to mixed results. Rhys stayed in his place and offered covering fire for Jack. Rhys was a little mystified as well, by how good Jack really was in a fight.

He was energetic and clever, he never stopped moving and zipping around the battlefield with all of the gadgets that he had at his disposal. It was like he was a one man army, all on his own. The battle went on for some time. Jack and the vault hunters seemed to be equally matched and neither side was tiring from the bloodshed. It could go for hours if something didn’t change.

When the warrior had awoken everything changed.

The hail of gunfire immediately stopped as the lava monster reared up, willing to do whatever Jack had told him to do. Jack pulled himself to his feet with some effort, manic laughter tumbling forth from his lips. “Finally! Now we can really end this!” He shouted in a self-congratulatory sort of way. “Warrior!” Jack called, his hands splayed out widely – he was quite a sight, Rhys thought as he watched the scene play out with baited breath. He had an angry and manic expression spread across his face and blood sprayed all over his body and face. “Kill.” He ordered and the Vault Monster was helpless to do anything other than follow his commands.

The battle began anew and Rhys did his best to hurt and maim the vault hunters as much as he could manage – shooting them with his sniper rifle from a vantage point and occasionally striking out at them shards of ice in the hopes of freezing them to death, or at least slicing them open.

For a while, it looked like they were going to win. That this would be easy – they had loader bots and sirens on their side. Then suddenly, everything changed as Lilith’s collar… broke. The metal of it snapped down on the floor, as soon as she realized that she was free she set her sights on Jack with the intention of killing him. She hit him with her fiery abilities – striking out at him at full force, with fire and corrosion.

“NO!” Rhys snapped as he looked at Jack – the older man was in a bad state, he was bleeding and bruised, sure to die if Rhys didn’t do anything about it. Rhys sprinted to Jacks side and blocked the blow that Lilith had thrown towards Jack. “Stay away from him!” He screamed at the vault hunters and Lilith, tears were in his eyes. Jack had to succeed, he told himself, if he didn’t he would die… and then Rhys would die from the heartbreak.

He struck out at them with sharp spikes of ice, hitting them with as many blows as they could manage until the molten fire had dissipated around them and the room became more and more chilly. The vault hunters refused to give up, they kept on shooting – even as Rhys did everything in his power to protect Jack and the warrior from and unwarranted death.

Rhys was so upset, so frightened at the thought that he might lose Jack that at first he didn’t notice the way that the world simply stopped around him. When he finally did take notice of the opportunity at his hands, he took advantage of it. Rhys climbed down from his vantage point and walked onto the battlefield. He looked over at Jack, who was leaning down with his hand clutched around his chest. He looked over at the vault hunters who were all in fighting stances, their guns at the ready. He looked at Lilith, who was trapped in a stasis – her eyes were white and overloaded, there was a look of fury spread across her face. She would attack Jack again, probably kill him, if she had the chance.

Rhys didn’t have good control over this ability – he could barely understand it. So he had no idea of knowing just how long he would be able to keep it up with this. He decided to deal with the vault hunters first, they were a big threat. He walked over to them and plied the guns out of their hands, then he tossed them into the lava so that they would never be able to be recovered.

Without their guns, they were sitting ducks – served them right.

Then he walked over to where Lilith stood. She was gearing up to attack Jack one more time. He turned her around so that she was facing the lava behind her. Time moved slowly in the moments that it restarted. Everything went in half speed, like Rhys was running high on espresso and everyone else was miserable and sluggish. Rhys took that opportunity to attack Lilith – striking her on the back on the head as soon as she noticed that she wasn’t aiming at Jack anymore.

Lilith dropped back down onto the floor. She was on her hands and knees as she desperately scrambled away from the fiery pit that surrounded her. Rhys didn’t blame her, dying like that seemed like an awful way to go. He took a step or two back away from her as he eyed the look of hatred in her eyes.

She ran towards Rhys so quickly that he nearly bowled over when she made impact with him. The two of them fought each other – fire and ice striking out against each other – until they were both exhausted and overwhelmed by the heat of the vault. All the while Jack the warrior kept waging on against the vault hunters – attacking them with all its fervor. It was a miracle that they had survived as long as they did without their weapons.

But eventually, the tide of the battle turned towards Jacks’ favor once more and the end became more and more clear to the vault hunters. There was no winning this, not for them. “It’s hopeless!” One of them said – the siren with the blue hair – as she turned back away from the battle, ready to retreat. She urged her friends along, but it seemed like they had some doubts. Rhys cocked his head at them as he watched the exchange, a look of interest has spread across his face.

One of the others spoke up – the girl with the death robot – with a frown spread across her face. “We can’t just leave her here!” She said, pointing to Lilith, who was still crumpled down on the ground, being held still by Rhys as Jack worked with the warrior. “Lilith needs our help.”

“If we don’t retreat now we’ll all die.” The siren retorted again. The rest of them seemed to finally grasp her point. They were weaponless and helpless, the battle was not on their side. “Then we’ll never be able to help Lilith.” She hissed. She gave the other siren an apologetic look – one that, unfortunately, Lilith never got the chance to see.

When all of the vault hunters left, there was a palpable bitterness in the air – it was clear that they had never lost a fight like this before. They would be back – soon probably – but it would be too late to change things, by the time they were done licking their wounds. Rhys grinned cruelly at the sight. He had never thought he was capable of that kind of schadenfreude before but… here he was. Grinning at the sight of their loss and his victory.

The moments after their victory was fully realized were surprisingly serene, given the fire and bloodshed that was spread around the lot of them – the vault hunters were crawling away, injured and afraid, Lilith was crumbled on the ground barely breathing as she choked on the clumps of dirt that Rhys had practically forced her to eat on the battleground. And despite all of that, a peaceful feeling had overcome both Rhys and Jack – it was the gentle feeling that came with a well deserved victory.

They watched the fire rampage around them as they walked out of the vault, victorious. The next thing that Rhys noticed, as he looked over at Lilith’s pathetically crumpled up body was that there were Loader Bots approaching her. He winced in sympathy as they wrenched her up and dragged her away.

Jack wrapped an arm around Rhys’ waist. “You want your collar back, baby?” He asked, already knowing what the answer would be as Rhys trembled in his arms. His hand moved to stroke the sirens bare cheek. Rhys leaned into the touch, tears springing from his eyes as he was gentled by the older man.

“Please.” Rhys replied with desperation in his voice. His voice was wet and soft, gravelly with unspoken sobs. “Give it back to me, Jack. I need it.” He begged. He pretended not to notice the grin that was spread across Jacks’ face.

Jack was overly sweet with him in the next moments. “Tell me you need it one more time.” He ordered, his voice sweet and low like honey. He caressed Rhys’ cheek in a condescending manner. “You can say it, can’t you Rhysie?”

“I need it.” Rhys replied dutifully. “I need it so bad, Jack please-” Then there were fingers at his lips, shutting him up instantaneously.

“And you need me.” Jack hummed, his fingers had moved down to his sides and they were impatiently drumming against his hips as he spoke. “Say it.” He said again.

Rhys looked at him oddly, not understanding why he felt the need to drag this out. What did he have to prove? Rhys had already given himself over to Jack fully – mind, body and soul. He had no clue why Jack would treat him like this right now. “I need you, Jack.” Rhys trembled in Jack’s arms as he spoke.

“Good boy.” Jack murmured darkly to the siren as the collar was locked around his throat once again so that Rhys’ abilities were dampened into something more manageable for Jack to use however he wished.

Rhys let out an audible sigh of relief as he felt the weight of the collar once again – it was comforting and the sleek metal was cool against his skin. A grateful smile spread across his face as he looked up at Jack, “Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed that.” He said, in a breathless sort of way. Then he beamed forward and pulled Jack in for a kiss that the older man was happy to return.

Rhys looked back at the fire and brimstone – at the Warrior rampaging about the place, with intent on killing the vault hunters. He was sure that the monster wouldn’t stop until it. Something about its presence made Rhys feel weary, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “What are we gonna do about that?” Rhys asked, eyeing the creature meaningfully as he spoke.

Jack grinned as he looked back at the rampaging monster. It was his to command and control, however he liked. “Oh. Him? Our little friend here is gonna keep going until he fixes the planet, once and for all.” He explained. “When he’s finished with it, Pandora will be a whole ‘nother place. It’ll be great, pumpkin. Just you wait.” He promised.

“Like… everyone?” Rhys asked. He thought that that would have been a little harsh, but he didn’t voice those concerns. It wasn’t worth it and Jack was too on edge to listen to any complaints without taking them seriously.

“No.” Jack reassured him, his voice sweet as sugar. “Just all the bandit scum on the planet.” He added just as sweetly.

Rhys opened his mouth and then closed it again. “…Alright.” He said, desperate not to put his foot in his mouth. Not now, when Jack seemed to be in such a good place. Then Jack’s arm wound around his waist and he walked the siren back to their shuttle so they could go back home.

By the time that they were back at Helios, Rhys was sleepy from all of the fighting and emotional toil that the battle had taken on him, Jack was feeling glib and satisfied from finally getting what he had wanted all of those years ago on Elpis and Lilith was banged up from all of the manhandling and cruel treatment that she had received that day.

Rhys and Jack followed the loaders as they carted Lilith off to her cell. Rhys was sure that Jack had something in store for the siren – maybe a punishment, like more torture, or a tighter collar. It turned out to be a mixture of all three. Jacks guards had held Lilith down until she was forced to be steady, and then he gave her a new collar – it was thick and tight and longer than the last one. He locked it around her throat. Then he attacked her, he beat her until she was black and blue – telling her the whole time that nothing that she was being put through could compare to what she did to his daughter. And after all of that, just to rub salt into the wound, he chained her up tightly to the wall so she couldn’t even move in her cell. Then he punished her more, attacking her with words and his fists while she was down.

By the time that Jack was done with Lilith, she was a wreck. Jack kicked her one more time before he finally backed away, “That’s what you get for trying to kill me.” He growled down at her, “I mean just- what did you think was gonna happen, hm?” He leaned in close to her, so close that they were nearly face to face. “Did you think that you’re pathetic little bandit friends would come and rescue you?”

“Fuck. You.” Lilith snapped at him, a pained look spread across her face. She looked like she was already on the verge of tears and she only stopped herself from breaking down out of spite and hatred for the men in front of her. “I’ll get out of this and when I do… I’ll kill you and tear down this space station! I’ll do it with my bare hands if I have to.” She added in warning.

Jack laughed and shook his head as he pulled away from her. “Whatever gets you to sleep at night, bandit.” He said in a flat, condescending sort of way. Jack walked out of the cell – knowing that Lilith would be trapped in the room with no hope of escape and even if she did miraculously get out of her chains, she would be helpless without a weapon or her abilities.

Jack walked out of the room, chuckling to himself as he did so. As soon as he was out of the door, Lilith tried to launch at Jack one more time, only to be forced back into her place by the chains. Jack laughed and shook his head. “I just told you it’s hopeless! Don’t you listen?” He said, continuing to laugh at her. “Heh, you look so damn stupid with that dumb look on your face, ‘Ohh, waah my

Lilith glowered at him, but refused to say another word. Jack was being pointlessly cruel to her at that moment, but deep down she knew that he was right – it was hopeless. She watched him walk out the door and move down the hall, leaving the cell open for now – just to taunt her, she was sure.

The other siren in the room – Rhys – however, seemed to be still standing right there in her cell – taunting her in a worse way with a stupid look spread across his face. “What?” She snapped at him. Rhys eyed her oddly, with a hint of… something in his eyes. Maybe it was remorse, maybe it was guilt, she couldn’t say for sure.

She huffed, “What?! What do you want?” She snapped at him. “H-haven’t you both done enough to me today?” She asked, desperately trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

“I… I um…” Rhys started to reply, stuttering out every syllable that came out of his mouth. He fidgeted with his fingers, he looked like he was getting himself ready to say something to her – to ask her something, maybe. But the words never came out of him.

She rushed forward again – once more forgetting the chains and the barrier – only to be punished one more time. That was enough to leave her crumpled up and gasping for air. Rhys watched her for moments on end, watching her cough and heave with effort. It was an uncomfortable sight, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to pull away… at least not until Jack called him.

“Rhys!” Jack snapped, while Rhys looked at the siren’s crumbling form with an entranced look in his eye. There was a heady mixture of morbid curiosity, satisfaction and horror at her suffering in his mind as he stared and stared. “Rhys! Heel!” The older man yelled and Rhys’ eyes snapped towards him. The siren took on a meek affectation, his eyes downcast as he did as he was told.

Then Rhys scurried off to his side and Jack grabbed Rhys around the waist. Jack’s hands were tight around him, tight enough to make him ache around the midsection. “I’m sorry!” He blurted out, “I’m so sorry, I got distracted.” He explained, fidgeting with his fingers as he spoke – his voice was meek and he refused to make eye contact with the older man.

As he was dragged away, to be ravished and rewarded by the older man while he was still in the good and celebratory mood from his win, he couldn’t help but look back at Lilith – heaving sickly in the cell that she was chained up in.

* * *

After Lilith had been justly – or unjustly, Rhys went back and forth about her every day – defeated and put back in her cell, Jack decided to make his victory known. Rhys was happy to be by his side while they celebrated, just like he always was, just like he would always be. “Citizens of Pandora…” Jack breathed out, as he took a seat in his office. Rhys smiled and sat at his side, looking at him with worship in his eyes.

Jack paid him very little mind, other than to card his fingers through the sirens hair. “I am happy to announce that the skag fucking bandits that murdered my daughter have been defeated.” He hummed into the microphone, the pleasure of victory coursing through him.

Distantly, Rhys wondered if the people on Pandora were glad for it to finally be over – the war that had been raging on the planet was finally over and even if that meant some horrid things were in store for a great number of them, at least they knew what was in store for them. The lack of surprise could be comforting – the security of knowing exactly what was going to happen to them.

Rhys looked over at Jack, watching the expression on the older mans face change into one of pure joy and celebration as he continued on with his speech. “Now, it’s been a long time coming. We, well… I have been looking for the vault for years, but now that I have it… a lot of shit on that skag fucking bandit filled planet will be different.” He grinned and paused. Everyone clapped – mainly because they knew that they were supposed to – before Jack continued on, he had vicious grin spread across his face as he spoke. “Now don’t take this as an opportunity to slack off, we got a lot of work to do.” He warned as he looked around the room.

He grinned, “And that goes double for you weirdos in R&D,” He said. Everyone laughed, much to the stress of the scientists. “We aren’t even halfway done on Pandora, not yet. We got a helluva lot more work to do…” Jack explained, his speech coming to an end. “But tonight, we’ll celebrate – drinks are on Handsome Jack!” Before he walked off to enjoy the party himself. They still had a lot of work to do, that was for sure, but for now they were going to celebrate. The entirety of Helios was alight with celebratory fervor. Everyone was drinking, everyone was having a good time. All the drinks were on Jack’s tab and every single worker on Helios was taking advantage of their CEO’s uncharacteristic generosity – be they executives or middle managers, entry level interns or even janitorial staff.

There was a pleasant air around the place, everyone felt pleased and relaxed. Rhys was glad that he got the chance to partake in the festivities – especially considering how Jack so rarely let him out and even rarer that he would allow him to spend time Hyperion employees. Jack usually wasn’t so willing to trust them, even if they worshiped him and pledged loyalty to him on a constant basis, everyone lied and cheated at Hyperion. Rhys was precious enough to him that he usually wanted to tuck him close to his side.

Not today though. Today Rhys was free to socialize and chat with some of them. He had ended up chatting up an accountant named Vaughn and one of the higher ups in requisitions – her name was Yvette. The two of them were incredibly friendly to him, surprisingly welcoming for Hyperion employees. It was a surprising change, all the rest of them seemed to eye him warily and look at him with a mixture of admiration and fear – it was like they all thought he was some beautiful, walking time bomb. Rhys didn’t like that feeling – the feeling that he was being watched, voyeuristically, by the other employees just in case he attacked them with the abilities that he possessed.

Rhys already felt enough like a monster on his own, he didn’t need anyone to reinforce that feeling for him. It made him feel even lower about himself than he already did. “So, Rhys, be honest…” Yvette said after, his third tequila sunrise. “What’s it like working for Handsome Jack.”

“What do you mean?” Rhys asked. “You work for Jack, don’t you?” He added, eyeing her in a wary sort of way, like he worried that she was a competitor or a spy.

“Well yeah, but not directly.” She explained. “I’ve never even met the guy before.” She added with a little shrug.

“Which to be fair… is probably for the best.” Vaughn interjected. “He tends to get a little, er, really aggressive with anyone he comes into contact with and you’re not really the best at keeping your thoughts to yourself…” He trailed off as he noticed the look of murder that Yvette was giving him.

Yvette looked at him sourly for a moment before she continued on, “… Anyway. I want to know what its like being that close to someone like that.” She said, “Is it overwhelming?” Yvette asked, “Being at Handsome Jack’s side all of the time?” She added for clarification.

Rhys smiled, “It is a bit, yeah.” He replied. “Jack is… how do I describe him?” He muttered to himself as he thought on it. “He’s wonderful! He’s so smart and energetic and handsome and…” He blushed and covered his mouth in embarrassment at all of the gushing that he was doing. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear all that.”

“Yeah, we hear about how awesome Handsome Jack is at least six times a day.” Vaughn replied in a flat and bored tone of voice. Rhys found that interesting – he wondered if he wasn’t as worshipful of Jack as everyone else was. That would be a shock to the sirens system.

“But what’s he like?” Yvette pressed insistently – it was clear she wanted to take advantage of meeting with the siren. Rhys couldn’t exactly blame her for that. He was sure that if he was in her position that he would want to get all of the intimate details about Handsome Jack too.

But it was difficult for Rhys to adequately explain Jack. He didn’t think it was possible to condense the older man down into a sentence or two. He was much too complex, much too grandiose and much too strange to be able to explain with as little effort as that. So Rhys faltered, only managing an answer after he took a moment or two to recollect his jumbled and confused thoughts until they were formed into something coherent. “Honestly? He saved my life.” He said. “Before Jack I was nothing, I was this wreck of a person that kept everyone at a distance no one loved…” He sighed, “I was broken. And he picked me up and put me back together. I guess that’s what he’s like, when it comes down to it.” He enunciated his statement with a polite little smile and a halfhearted shrug.

Both Vaughn and Yvette had strange looks spread across their faces – like they didn’t believe that Jack was as magnanimous and kind as Rhys suggested. And maybe he was romanticizing Jack and his relationship with the older man, at least a little bit, but he really couldn’t help it. He didn’t know what he would do without Jack – that was the simple truth of it. And a part of him weary that he had come to depend on the older man so much but… that was just how things were.

It was probably how things always would be too, he didn’t think that there was a world where he and Handsome Jacks lives were not intertwined and if there was… he didn’t want to live in it. Vaughn was the first person to respond, “I never thought of Handsome Jack like that.” He explained.

Rhys smiled, “He is.” He agreed, “But not to me, I guess?” He shrugged, “I wouldn’t blame you for not believing me, though.” He added cautiously, “I know what kind of reputation Jack has. But he can be kind.”

“No I believe you.” Vaughn replied, “You don’t really seem like a liar.” He added helpfully.

Rhys smiled at that, “Thanks!” He said and then as he remembered himself, “You probably shouldn’t tell anyone that though.” Rhys added, “Jack has a reputation to uphold.” He explained with a little laugh. Rhys liked Vaughn and Yvette, he liked them a lot. And, if he could, he would have spent the whole night with them.

Sadly, that wasn’t in the cards – in the next few moments, Jack walked up and wound his arms around Rhys’ waist, pulling his body flush against Jack’s own. “Rhysie, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Jack cooed. Rhys let out a little gasp as Jack pressed a kiss against Rhys’ neck. Just a short, sweet press of his lips against the sirens skin. “These your new friends?” He asked, eyeing Vaughn and Yvette with a mixture of interest and suspicion.

Rhys nodded. “This is Vaughn and Yvette.” He explained. “We were just talking about…” He trailed off as he realized that he didn’t want to let Jack know that he had been talking about him with his new friends. There was no way that that would go over well. “Um, we were talking about-” He looked at them helplessly, as if to cue him in to how off he felt.

“Accounting.” Vaughn supplied. “Rhys was really fascinated by it.” He lied easily, giving Rhys a friendly look for just a moment or two.

Rhys smiled at the shorter man in a grateful manner as Jack nuzzled against him. “Interesting, interesting.” Jack replied, in a tone that implied that he wasn’t very interested in what the two employees thought in the least. “Rhysie…”

“Hm?” Rhys replied, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. He was nervous and overwhelmed in the older mans grasp – and Jack knew it.

He grinned a little wider and laughed lowly in his ear. “What do say me and you go back home for the night?” Jack asked and Rhys could feel his vicious grin against his skin as he spoke.

“Okay.” Rhys said with a little nod, his voice light and soft – like he was lightheaded just from being in proximity to Jack. He turned towards Vaughn and Yvette and said, “I gotta go, it was nice meeting you two.” He said, with as much friendliness as he could manage.

Vaughn and Yvette quickly said their goodbyes, before Jack pulled Rhys away. Rhys clung tightly to Jack as the older man walked him back to the elevator. The only thing that he was sure of then was that they were surely going to the penthouse. He wondered what Jack in store for him there – if he would ply Rhys with more drinks or if he planned to take his pleasure from him as soon as they got into the privacy of their home.

Either way, Rhys would be pleased – he loved to be the center of Handsome Jacks’ attention. It made him feel appreciated and loved. Jack walked him back to the bedroom and lay him down flat on the bed. Rhys let out a gasp as his body made contact with the comforter – it was so soft and fluffy, it made him feel like he was laying on a cloud in the muddled state that he was in.

He looked up at Jack helplessly as the older man stripped him of all his clothing. It didn’t take long until they were both naked and Jack was laying over him. Rhys shamelessly admired the older mans body – his flesh hand moved to trace some of the scarring on his chest.

Jack chuckled and grabbed Rhys’ wandering hand. “You are too cute.” He complimented, bringing Rhys’ wrist to his lips so he could press soft and fluttery little kisses against the soft skin the younger mans wrist. “My pretty little killer.” He cooed, “You did well out there.” He praised easily, his hands absentmindedly trailing up and down Rhys’ mostly unblemished body.

It took Rhys a moment or two to properly respond, his head was swimming from the alcohol and the positive feelings that Jacks praise always gave him. “Thank you.” He chirped. “I just did my best to help you, you know… its no big deal.” He added, his tone was bashful and shy, like he couldn’t believe that Jack would even deign to give him praise and adoration like this.

Jack shook his head, “It’s a very big deal.” Jack said gravely. Then he moved in to kiss Rhys, a kiss that the younger man happily returned. His hands moved to pin Rhys down and the siren let out a soft cry in surprise, “Many people have betrayed me, many people have let me down…” He grinned in a devious sort of way. Rhys felt a hot blush spread across his cheeks as he looked up at the older man.

God, he was so handsome it made Rhys’ knees feel weak. He felt Jacks’ hands trailing down towards his thighs. He pulled them apart with ease until they were wide apart and Rhys was laying bare before him. Jack kissed him one more time. “Stay right there, Rhysie, just like that.” Jack demanded, his voice low and sweet.

Rhys did as he was told – keeping himself spread out wide and on display for the older mans pleasure as Jack walked out of the room. He returned after a moment or two with a blindfold, some rope and a few toys – a couple bullet vibrators, an anal plug and a thick looking dildo. “What’s all this?” He asked.

Jack grinned viciously, “I’m gonna treat you tonight, kitten.” He explained. “By the time I’m done with you, you won’t remember your own fucking name. Won’t that be nice?” He hummed as he set everything down on the bed, right next to Rhys’ bod. Even though Rhys knew Jack wasn’t really asking, he nodded and smiled. Jack moved to detach Rhys’ arm next.

He wanted Rhys to be entirely at his mercy now, knowing that the siren would easily submit to him.

He placed the cybernetic arm in a safe place, then he moved to bind Rhys’ arm to the headboard of the bed, binding his wrist so tightly to the frame that Rhys couldn’t even pull it away. He also looped ropes around Rhys’ waist and bound them loosely to the frame. Then came the blindfold, which he fitted gently over Rhys’ eyes. So Rhys couldn’t see anything, but he could hear and feel what Jack was doing to him.

The first thing that he felt was a kiss, first on his lips, before Jacks lips moved lower. He pressed kisses down the slope of the younger mans neck, his teeth lightly nibbling on the sirens collarbones as he did so. His lips moved down to Rhys chest, moving to kiss and lick and suck on the younger mans nipples until they were erect and sensitive to Jacks’ touch.

Rhys arched into the older mans touch as he rolled one of his nipples in between his fingers with one hand. All the while he grabbed one of the bullet vibrators with his other hand. Jack trailed the toy down the line of his stomach, down and down until it was pressed against his clit. Then he turned it on.

Rhys was already so sensitive from the gentle teasing that after a few moments of feeling the vibrator pressed up against his clit was enough to make him cum. Rhys felt weary enough after the first orgasm but Jack wasn’t giving him a break. The next thing that he knew, Jack was using something – maybe tape or velcro – to keep two vibrators attached to his nipples. He kept both of the vibes on a low setting so that Rhys was constantly stimulated by them, but it wouldn’t be all that he felt.

Jack grabbed the dildo and guided it towards Rhys’ lips. “Open your mouth kitten.” He urged. Rhys did as he was told and kept his mouth wide open as Jack fucked the thick toy in and out of his mouth. It wasn’t until Rhys was drooling and dizzy from lack of oxygen that he finally relented.

Jack thrust the spit slick plastic cock inside of Rhys with one hand, while he used the other to play with his clit. He was fucked him slow and deep with the dildo, laughing as Rhys came a second time. Even after he came, he continued to tease him until Rhys was shying away from his touch. “D-daddy it h-hurts.” Rhys whimpered. Jack just shushed him and brushed his tears away. Rhys sobbed a little more as Jack pressed a few kisses against his cheek. It felt like Jack was mocking him with the sweet, affectionate touches that he bestowed upon to the younger man.

“I know you’ve got one more in ya, sweetheart.” He cooed. “And you’re so slick… I wanna see how much you can take.” He added. He gently and slowly pulled out the dildo, setting it aside. Rhys couldn’t stop whimpering and moaning, he knew Jack was enjoying this – turning him in to a pile of mush that melted at his command.

The next thing that Rhys knew, Jacks’ hand was cupping his sex. His rough fingers teased against his folds, then two of his fingers were sliding inside of his cunt. He thrust his fingers in and out of his slick, well used hole. Then he eased a third finger inside of him, scissoring them and twisting them around to stretch him out. Then there was a fourth – which made Rhys whine and cry out. Then his thumb was forced inside of Rhys’ cunt.

Jack fucked his fist inside of Rhys in a rough manner, the siren threw his head back and shrieked as he was roughly used by the unrelenting man in front of him. He screamed as he came a third time. It was too much, he was so overwhelmed. He couldn’t stop saying Jacks name, or crying out in a mixture of ecstasy and pain. And Jack was unrelenting. He kept playing with him through the aftershocks of it, his fingers teasing his clit and thrusting inside of him at an unrelenting pace. It was the sweetest torture that he had ever endured.

By the time that Jack slid his cock inside of Rhys’ cunt, he was so slick and slippery that Jack had to grab on tight to his hips and hold him tight as he thrust in and out of him. Jack fucked him hard and rough, Rhys was overwhelmed by the feel of being filled by the older mans thick cock combined with the sounds of skin slapping against skin. It was absolutely filthy.

Eventually Jacks hips stuttered and he came inside of Rhys. But he wasn’t done with the younger man just yet. He pulled out of Rhys, then he grabbed the younger mans thighs. He forced his hips up and spread his thighs wide. Then he dove in to lick all the come and slick out of the younger mans well used cunt. Rhys cried out and squirmed sluggishly as Jack lapped at his sensitive bits, his tongue talented and unrelenting. He was very thorough too, he didn’t pull away until he was sure that Rhys was perfectly clean.

When he was satisfied, he pulled up to kiss Rhys gently. “How was that, hm kitten?” Jack asked, “Did I rock your world, sweetheart… can you even answer my question?” He looked at Rhys with a self-congratulatory expression spread across his face. Rhys replied with an unintelligible string of slurred words that he couldn’t make out. He nuzzled against Jack sleepily and looked at him with an adoring expression. Jack chuckled, “I’ll take that as a yes.” He said.

He untied Rhys quickly and massaged his sore muscles for a few moments before he tucked him into bed. Before Jack let Rhys fall asleep, overwhelmed and exhausted by everything Jack had done to him so far, he leaned forward and kissed him one more time – enjoying the sweet taste of the siren and the pretty way that he gasped and whined in response to every little bit of attention – every kiss and touch, ever teasing stroke and every lascivious grin that Jack threw his way.

As he watched Rhys drift off, he felt comforted by the knowledge that no matter what happened – no matter what he did or who he hurt, no matter how many betrayals he was forced to endure – the siren would always be by his side, unwavering in his support. Jack leaned down and pressed a kiss to Rhys’ cheek before he walked out to his study to do some more work.

There would always be more work, he wouldn’t rest until the entire galaxy was up to his standards.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's some dubious consent, caused by alcohol consumption in this chapter.

In the coming weeks after everything had happened at the vault, things quickly began to change around Helios. In ways that were both good and bad, heartwarming and frightening. His victory had emboldened him and everyone around him knew it. He had put Research and Development into overdrive crafting new weapons and gadgets for Hyperion and for Jack’s purposes specifically. He had the advertising and propaganda department so that more recruits would come and work at Hyperion. He had Rhys being given more Eridium injections and experimental procedures so he would be stronger.

Everyone had to do their part on Helios – especially Rhys.

That morning, Rhys had been taken to Research and Development and hooked up to a machine where heavily concentrated Eridium was injected inside of him. Even before the vault, his body had been able to retain Eridium extraordinarily, but after the vault…his connection to it was incredibly strong now, nearly as strong as Lilith’s was. In Jack’s mind that was more than good – it was necessary, he would need Rhys to have that sort of connection to the vaults in the future.

After Rhys had been done with his treatments, he had been so weary and out of sorts that Jack had had to carry him back home and tuck him into bed. He had slept for nearly twelve hours, before he woke up sore, tired and in need of sustenance. He walked out into the kitchen, with little more to cover himself than a throw blanket.

Jack was sitting there too, with a glass of whiskey at the table and a cigar in his hand. Rhys’ first impression was that he was either pensive or stressed. Jack wasn’t often the type to drink alone. He smiled as he made his presence known. “Good morning.” Rhys greeted, his voice weak and raspy from sleep and all the exertion that he had undergone at the hands of Hyperion scientists and doctors.

As soon as Jack took notice of Rhys, he looked at the siren in that strange way that he always did. “You’re glowing, kitten.” He commented, his eyes roving over the sirens naked body.

Rhys arched a brow, “I am?” He asked as he walked to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. He drank the cool liquid so quickly that he nearly choked, he was so parched that he was desperate.

Jack gave Rhys an appraising sort of look, “You are… a little bit.” He admitted. “But you know, you’re just so gorgeous that I can’t tell if its the Eridium or your natural beauty.” He laid on the praise thickly.

Rhys chuckled and shook his head at the older man. “You flatter me too much.” He said shyly, refusing to look Jack in the eye, a blush spread across his face. “I’m not… I’m not anything like… I’m not anything-” He started to say, but Jack was quick to move towards him and cupped his face. Suddenly Rhys was at a loss for words.

Then he pulled the siren in for a shockingly sweet kiss. It was just the thing that he needed to get out of the strange mood that he was in. Rhys leaned into the honey sweet contact and let Jack kiss him until he was breathless. By the time that Jack pulled away from the kiss, Rhys had a love struck look spread across his face and he needed to hold onto the older man to keep himself upright. “You’re everything I say you are and more. Don’t be shy with me, Rhysie.” Jack chided him in a mockingly stern tone.

Rhys huffed. “I’ll try not too.” He said, as a lip biting smile spread across his lips.

“There’s a good boy.” Jack praised easily, “Now, come here. I wanna show ya something.” he directed, his hand winding around the sirens’ wrist. Rhys tried to keep up with Jack as the older man quickly walked the two of them towards one of the windows. Then he moved behind Rhys, his arms circling around his waist. “What do you see?” He asked.

The siren looked down at the planet below them, down at Pandora. It looked like parts of planet were set ablaze. “It’s…” Rhys was completely at a loss for words. “…Hot looking.” He finally said, after several pregnant pauses.

Jack let out a chuckle, “Yeaaah, it sure is pumpkin. Nice observational skills.” He added with a little snort. “It’s setting the whole place ablaze, gonna be a bitch to put out the fire later, but boy is it worth it if it snuffs those bandits the fuck out.” Jack was grinning like a kid in the candy shop. Rhys didn’t have it in himself to be bothered by the joy that the older man felt at the destruction of the planet.

He couldn’t bring himself to be bothered by much that Jack did, especially these days. He loved the older man a little too much to let himself be.

“What are you gonna do when it finally finishes its job?” Rhys asked, looking at the fiery display with a worried expression spread across his face. He didn’t think an all consuming fire like that would ever fully go out. Jack grabbed Rhys by the shoulders and gently squeezed them. It was a comforting display, but still one that made him feel strange. Dominated, even. When Jack touched him like that, when he gave him attention and cooed over him, he felt like the older mans world revolved around him.

It was a thrilling, powerful feeling. Rhys was sure he could get drunk on the way it made him feel.

Jack leaned in close and pressed against Rhys, “When the Warrior finishes doing what I told it to do, we’ll grab it and put it into containment, then we’ll turn the planet into something to be proud of. Then its gonna come with us to another planet and we’re gonna fix that one up too. I’m thinking Eden-6, place used to be nice until Jakobs got their claws in the place, we can get rid of them too.” He laughed lowly, almost to himself. “And if there are any vaults there, which Jakobs always denied but I don’t fucking believe them, we’ll take care of those too. Get a few more of those Guardians under control and have them fix up the planets until-”

“The whole galaxy is under your command.” Rhys finished for Jack, understanding exactly what he wanted to do. He was a little breathless as he said it.

Jack grinned against Rhys’ skin. “See, now you’re getting it. No need to play dumb when you understand me perfectly, hm?” He hummed, pressing a kiss to Rhys’ cheek as a reward. “Every planet, every star, baby… it’ll be all ours. Mostly mine, but you know everything that’s mine is yours, sweetness.” He added as Rhys leaned into Jack’s touch.

“Well it’s incredibly ambitious.” Rhys replied, watching the fire laden planet with a mesmerized look spread across his face. “B-but are you sure that it will be able to do its job quick enough for us- for you, I mean, to have it carry out your goals? Cleaning up Pandora could take years.” He pointed.

“It’ll be done before the years out.” Jack assured him. “The planets not heavily populated.”

“But how do you know?” Rhys pressed. He didn’t know why he even bothered asking, he usually went along with whatever Jacks wishes were. Maybe the Eridium in his system was leaving him irritable, or emboldened. Maybe both. But still he asked, and as soon as the question came out of his mouth he clamped it shut tight.

Jack huffed at that, as if Rhys was acting difficult with him. He squeezed Rhys’ hips in an absent-minded manner. “I haven’t been wrong about anything else, so far. Have I?” He asked, though he didn’t expect Rhys to answer. And the siren didn’t, because he couldn’t argue with Jack. He was right. He had been right about everything. The vault, capturing Lilith and forcing her to work with them, everything.

* * *

Another thing that had changed about Jack – and in a sense, about Helios and Hyperion – was that Jack was more open about his relationship with Rhys. He took Rhys along with him when he worked, allowing him to shadow behind him when walked through department to department as he usually did to check on his workers progress.

Over the months after their victory Rhys had become something of a personal assistant for Jack. So he was always shadowing the older man and tending to his needs twenty-four seven. It made Rhys feel good that Jack trusted him enough to give him more power and influence than the siren knew what to do with. It felt like Rhys was the only one that Jack had any trust for these days, and that felt good too.

Along with his extra responsibilities, Rhys also began to enjoy more freedoms. Jack started letting him go out and explore the space station, he let him go shopping at the boutiques and allowed him to spend time with a few worker bees that he had made friends with – as long as he had Jacks’ permission first.

Today was one of the days that Rhys decided to go out with his new friends – Vaughn and Yvette. The three of them went out for lunch together at least three times a week now. Rhys usually opted to pay for their meals, because he had one of Jack’s gold cards in his name.

The three of them sat down at a little a burger joint, with their meals. Rhys was nursing a strawberry shake while the rest of the them ate their meals. “So how are you all adjusting to everything?” He asked, looking at the two of them with interest. “You know, Jack’s been sort of… you know…since everything went down.” He added quietly, “Things have been a little tense.”

“Yeah, I heard there was an altercation at R&D earlier.” Vaughn admitted, “One of the teams got fired… out of an airlock.” He said. “So, the financials were pretty messed up for a while cause of all the advertising money we had to re-direct to get more scientists. I don’t even know what they did.”

Rhys wondered if it had something to do with him – Jack was always pouring money into projects concerning Rhys and his abilities. But he shrugged the thought off and continued on with the conversation that they were having. No need for him to get lost in those unpleasant thoughts.

“Are you guys okay?” Rhys asked, thinking that he might talk to Jack about it – in the hopes that that didn’t blow up in his face.

Yvette shook her head, “Oh no we’re fine.” She reassured the siren. “Both of our departments are pretty safe, most of us don’t even end up in Jack’s vicinity. So we’ll all be fine. You don’t have to worry.” She explained with a dismissive little wave of her hand. Then she stealthily zipped forward and stole some of Rhys’ fries. Rhys pretended not to notice.

“Yeah, totally fine.” Vaughn parroted.

“That’s good,” Rhys said, “I know things have been hard lately, I’m sure things will get… less tense soon but I don’t want either of you to run into trouble. You’re my friends, I don’t want Jack to be mean to you… or kill you.” He mumbled the last part, to shy to be open about it.

“Yeah-” Vaughn started to say, but the words died on his lips. Rhys arched a brow at him and wordlessly urged him to say something – the silence was getting a little awkward, after all. But he just sat their with his jaw dropped.

Yvette didn’t say a word either and she was mimicking Vaughn’s expression. It was like they had seen a ghost. Or maybe a god, something of that caliber. “What?” Rhys asked, nervously laughing a bit as he said it, but the two of them were still speechless. “What?!” He asked again.

“Look behind you, kitten.” Jack said with a smug little chuckle to enunciate his statement. Oh.

Rhys did as he was bade and was more than a little shocked to see Jack standing behind him with a pleasant grin spread across his lips. “Jack!” Rhys breathed as the older man came upon him. Suddenly, Jacks arms were wrapped around Rhys’ waist as he pressed a kiss to the younger mans cheek. He was always physically affectionate with Rhys when his friends were around. It was a bit like he was marking his territory on Rhys, like he was letting everyone know that the siren belonged to him and him only – even if he let him out of his sight every once and a while. Rhys would always belong to him, no matter what.

“How ya doing, baby?” Jack asked, “Having a good time with your little friends?” He added, eyeing the two of them briefly with a strange look before his attention quickly drifted back onto Rhys. The siren nodded, a little smile spread across his lips.

“Yeah, I’m doing alright.” Rhys replied amicably, he smiled briefly at the two of them.“We were just…” He sighed, “Having a bit of lunch.” He explained with a smile.

“This will never not be weird…” Vaughn mumbled to Yvette as the two of them watched the display with apprehension in their eyes. Yvette subtly nodded, though she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut and her eyes open as the exchange went on.

“D-did you need something?” Rhys asked, looking at the older man with an innocent expression spread across his face.

“I planned on taking you out for lunch today.” Jack said, his grin sharp and predatory as a sharks. “But looks like you already made plans.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I had no idea.” The siren explained in a morose sort of way. “We can still go out and get drinks or something.” Rhys offered. “Or maybe, just take a walk?” He suggested with a little shrug. The next thing that Rhys knew, Jack was pulling him up to his feet. Rhys threw an apologetic look to his friends as he was dragged away.

Jack took Rhys out for drinks at one of the more prestigious bars on Helios. They sat at a private booth, as they often did – there was no need to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves, after all. Rhys sat down in the corner of the booth and quickly found himself practically pooled into the older mans arms. Rhys wasn’t entirely sure if the way Jack touched him was meant to be loving or simply possessive, but he loved it no matter what it really meant.

Jack ordered them a bottle of their most expensive wine and demanded two glasses. He poured Rhys a glass of the dark liquor and pushed the glass towards the siren. “Drink up Rhysie, you need to loosen up.” He goaded, his voice low and sweet in the sirens ear.

“Shh, no I don’t.” The siren replied sourly, even as he started to drink. Jack chuckled and leaned back in his seat, taking a few sips of his own as he did so. “So why did you bring me here?” Rhys asked, after he had finished nearly half of his glass.

“I wanted to talk with you in private and we needed a good atmosphere.” Jack explained. Rhys wordlessly gestured for Jack to go on. “You know, me and you have been together a long time. How long do you think it’s been?” He asked, looking at the siren with interest.

“Nearly a decade.” Rhys supplied helpfully and only a second later did it sink in how long the two of them had been together. Rhys had been so young when he and Jack had met on Elpis.

“Nearly a decade… right.” Jack hummed, eyeing the siren with interest as he dutifully drank the alcohol that had been served to him. “Fuck, that’s a long time.” He added, mirroring Rhys’ thoughts exactly. “God, you’ve been with me through everything, haven’t you?” He looked at Rhys, his eyes filled with pride. “You’re stronger than you look, Rhysie, you showed me that at the vault.”

Rhys smiled bashfully, “I guess so.” He admitted. “I just…you could have been hurt, I didn’t want to lose you.” He said. Jack hummed and squeezed Rhys’ hand in response to that, the siren sighed pleasantly at the contact. “I’m glad everything worked out though.”

“Yeah. Things got a little hairy back there, didn’t they?” Jack said, mostly to himself. “Anyways, you’ve been like a secret on Helios for a long time, Rhys.” He explained, “How have you been adjusting to all of your new responsibilities?”

“I’m doing well I think.” Rhys said – at least, he was doing much better than he thought he was. He was handling things with a lot grace and authority that he had not thought himself capable of before. He had made friends too, people liked him and respected him. “I like it.” He added shyly. “I like being useful to you.”

“That’s good, I’m proud of ya, pumpkin.” Jack praised, watching the way that Rhys beamed at in response to the kind words with adoration in his eyes.

“Thank you.” Rhys replied, his voice incredibly soft and shy.

“Alright, let me cut to the chase,” Jack said, leaning in. “You’re mine. You know that, I know that. But not everyone does. If you’re gonna be going out with me, taking down these vaults, working with me on Helios and coming with me to corporate galas then I want everyone to know exactly who you belong to. I want to marry you.” Then Jack pulled something out of his pocket, a little box, he placed it in Rhys’ hand.

Rhys opened it up to find a simple, yet exquisite looking ring in the middle of it. It was obviously handcrafted and he noted a spark of Eridium in the center of the ring. This was not what Rhys was expecting. It wasn’t unwanted, but it still gave him a shock. “I…” Was all that the siren could manage to say as he looked at Jack. He let the older man continue on speaking as he struggled to find his voice.

Jack grinned and watched Rhys, “So what do you say?” He asked, “You want to be my husband, be mine in every single way? Mind, body, soul… you know. Everything.” He was sure that he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Rhys say it loud and clear.

“Yes.” Rhys breathed. “Y-yeah, I don’t want anything else. I mean I really want to marry you. I want everyone to know that I, I’m yours. I want that. You have no idea how much I want that-” He rambled quickly until all of his words all died in his throat, simply from how overwhelmed he felt. “Yes.” He croaked to finish his point, feeling a little embarrassed at his babbling.

At the end of the day, there was really no other way for Rhys to respond – even if marrying Jack, being his in every single way imaginable, wasn’t what he wanted. He had been with the older man for so long that in a way it felt like they were already married. They lived together, worked together, they constantly had their hands on each other and they made a good team. Rhys didn’t want to be in a world where he didn’t have that – so of course he would marry Jack.

Jack grinned sharply, his hand moving to caress Rhys’ cheek in an adoring sort of way. “That’s what I thought you’d say. Now, we have a lot of time to plan, so ya don’t need to worry about it right now. But

Rhys nodded, his heart to full to say little more than, “Okay…” as Jack stroked his cheek, an unspoken promise of good fortune and happiness in his touch. Rhys and Jack drank a bit more, laughed a bit more, until eventually the two of them got up out of the booth.

Jack led Rhys outside of the bar and led him down an alleyway. The next thing that the siren knew he was on his knees in front of Jack, his shaky fingers were moving to unzip the older mans pants while Jack pet his hair in an encouraging sort of way.

Rhys pulled out Jack’s cock and stroked him until he was hard and heavy in Rhys’ hand. He took his time, teasing the older man with his tongue, swirling it around the fat head of Jacks’ cock while he massaged his sac with his flesh hand. Jack groaned and praised him for doing everything that Jack liked.

Rhys smiled in a coy sort of way as he took Jack in his mouth. Someone could catch them here, the thought was incredibly thrilling. The danger of it sent chills down Rhys’ spine and a warm feeling started to pool in his gut. It made him feel so hot inside, he barely knew what to do with himself.

“Pull off, kitten.” Jack urged, his voice rough and raw. Rhys, for once in his life, didn’t do what he was told and kept on sucking Jack’s cock – bobbing his head up and down, his lips wrapped tight around his cock as he desperately suckled him like his life depended on it. Jack growled at the disobedience and wound his fingers through Rhys’ hair, he used it as leverage to force the siren off.

Rhys cried out as he was manhandled and pressed against the wall. Jack leaned in close and Rhys feel his cock straining against his back, he let out a whimper. “Shh, don’t want anyone to come find us and see you looking like a whore. Or do you?” He murmured maliciously in Rhys’ ear. He pulled away with a little kiss to the back of Rhys neck. The siren could feel his vicious grin against his skin.

Rhys snapped his mouth shut, tears brimming in his eyes. Anyone could find them there, he reminded himself. It was thrilling and terrifying now.

Jack pulled away from him as soon as he was sure that Rhys wouldn’t alert anyone to their presence. Then he moved to pull off Rhys’ belt and force his pants and underwear down until they were pooling at his ankles, effectively trapping him there. Then Jack reared his hand back and slapped Rhys’ ass.

He whined as Jack spanked him again and again and again, his hands scrambling at the wall for purchase as he took the sharp, stinging blows. “This is for disobeying me.” Jack added. He didn’t stop striking him until Rhys’ ass was raw and red from repeated impact.

The siren was sniffling, “I, I’m sorry. I’ll do better, daddy.” He promised quietly. Jack knew that Rhys was being honest about that, so he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Rhys’ cheek to sooth him.

“I know you will, kitten, I know.” The older man soothed gently. He gently spread Rhys’ legs apart and manhandled the siren so that he was arching his back. “Do you think you’re ready for my cock?” He asked sweetly. He didn’t wait for an answer before he thrust inside of the sirens’ slick cunt.

Rhys let out a whimpering moan as Jack thrust all the way inside of him. His own hand moved to stroke and tease his clit as Jack had his way with him. Jack grabbed Rhys’ hips and used them as leverage as he fucked the siren, hard and rough.

Rhys came too quickly and practically collapsed as Jack came inside of him. The next few moments went by in a blur, but he felt Jack rustling around to help clean him up. Then Jacks’ hands were cupping his face, he looked at Rhys with a sympathetic expression. “You alright?” He asked. Rhys’ mind felt slow, but he answered with a nod after a moment or two. “Good, that’s good. Come on, let’s get you home.” Jack muttered. “Look at you, Rhysie, you’re a goddamn mess. We’ll have to get you in the bath as soon as we get to the penthouse.” He chided, but his tone was not malicious or punitive.

“’S not just me. Y-you are too.” Rhys replied in a teasing sort of way, his words came out mumbled and slurring because of all of the alcohol in his system. Jack grinned at that and pulled the siren in for a breath stealing kiss. The celebrations were definitely not over tonight.

* * *

Rhys walked down to the bay where Lilith was being held in. Jack hadn’t given him permission to do this – it was the first time in a long time that Rhys had even somewhat veered into a territory of being disobedient towards the older man. He knew that Jack wouldn’t approve of Rhys going up and meeting with the other siren on his own. And he had to do this on his own, he had to confront her, he wanted to know why she had gone out of her way to hurt Jack over and over again.

Lilith had disfigured Jack, she had gone after him time and time again, she had helped kill his daughter. He had no idea why anyone would hurt someone else like this. It just seemed cruel and monstrous to him and he wanted to understand her motivations. He hoped that she at least thought she had a good reason for the things that she did, but he wasn’t expecting much. She was a bandit after all.

The thought that she probably just wanted a good pay day and that was why she did all the horrible things that she did had plagued his mind. It would have been the worst case scenario, if she didn’t have any good answers for her crimes. He didn’t know what he would do if that had happened. It would drive him up the wall – he hated not having definitive reasons for things. It drove him crazy.

Rhys snuck into the room that they were holding Lilith in with ease, he knew the entire outline of Helios almost as well as Jack did, because Jack had gone over all the outlines and shown him each and every little hiding spot that he had placed on the station. Helios was a labyrinthine maze and it was purposefully designed so that it was easy to get lost in, but Rhys knew it like it was the back of his hand.

Lilith was trapped against the wall – a control collar wrapped around her throat, it looked like a thicker and more uncomfortable version of his own – with a short length of chain attached to it. It was long enough that, if she tried to, she could stand up and walk right up to the door before there would be no more give in the chain and she would choke. He had no doubt that Lilith had tried to do just that and suffered the consequences for it, more than once.

He walked up to her and stood, with his arms crossed over his chest. “Hello, Lilith.” He said,

“Oh. It’s you.” She hissed, her face contorted into a snarl. It was obvious that she didn’t like Rhys and wouldn’t respond well to him. “What the hell do you want?” She asked, her eyes narrowing at Rhys in much the same way that Rhys’ did when he used his abilities to strike someone down. She couldn’t do anything though, she was entirely impotent right then, her powers fizzled out both because of how much energy she had been forced to exert when she was charging the vault key for Jack and also because of the control collar that Jack had forced her to wear.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Rhys said, his voice uncharacteristically firm and cold – it was like an impression of when Jack spoke to dignitaries from other corporations. Probably a bad one, Rhys thought to himself.

“About what.” Lilith replied, her voice flat and uncaring. Like Rhys wasn’t even worth the energy it required to make her angry. Rhys hated that. He hated how she seemed to want to make him feel small and stupid. It drove him up the wall when people treated him like that. The only person that was allowed to make him feel little and talk down to him was Jack, but that was different. He had agreed to let Jack do whatever he wanted to do to him a long time ago, so that made it good and preferable.

Rhys stiffened. “I want to know why-” He sighed, frowned and closed his eyes for a moment before he addressed her once again. “I want to know why you did what you did.” He explained, in a demanding sort of way.

“What I did?” She repeated mockingly as she tried to put on a strong face in front of him, which was a lot more difficult than she would have thought. “What exactly do you think I did?” She asked.

Rhys huffed, “You know what, I don’t know.” He grumbled in reply, “You betrayed Jack, you disfigured him, you nearly stopped him from saving all of the people on Helios and Elpis.” Then his tone turned even more dark and somber. “But the worst thing that you did was you killed Angel. You killed her. You.” He added in a judicious sort of way, like he was handing her a death sentence.

Lilith sighed and rolled her eyes, “Look. Rhys, or whatever your name is. I don’t know what you’re looking for here.” She said tiredly. “I’m not gonna apologize for anything that I did to Jack. He’s a monster and he deserved to be stopped. Matter of fact, I should have killed him. I didn’t, but I should have.” Rhys wavered a bit at that and she smiled, before continuing on with a smug aura surrounding her. “I didn’t kill Angel. She killed herself.” She snapped, her tone of voice was sharp and cruel – meant to goad Rhys on and make him feel even worse about himself.

Rhys narrowed his eyes at her, “You say that like it’s any different to kill someone than to just let them die.” He argued, “There’s no difference. You’re a murderer.” He hissed, his voice low and filled to the brim with hatred for her. “You killer her. That’s your fault and the fault of all of those vault hunters that you pal around with all the time.” He said, his voice wet and angry. “You killed my friend. She didn’t deserve that.”

Lilith didn’t like that, “And what does that make you?” She snapped back at him. “If I killed her because I didn’t stop her – and I’m just a stranger, just a bandit in your mind – then what the fuck does that make you and Jack?” She goaded him further, “Hm? She wanted to die for a loooong time, I know that you know that. I know that you know what she said to Jack before she died. She died hating him and hating you.” She hissed, her voice low and sharp like she was a viper rearing up to strike him.

The next few moments were a blur, suddenly Rhys was filled with rage. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” He snapped at her as he took a step towards her, he leaned down so they were eye level. “Let me make one thing very fucking clear – I am nothing like you.” He hissed, “I am not a murderer, I am not a bandit! I am not a greedy, lazy thief like you are.”

Lilith eyed him with an unimpressed stare. She knew that she was antagonizing Rhys at this point but she couldn’t really help but do it. “I think that you’re a lot more like me than you like to think.” She argued, staring down her nose at him despite the fact that she was sitting on the floor and he was still standing. She wasn’t afraid of Jack – despite everything that he had done to her in the past – and she wouldn’t let herself be afraid of one of Jack’s obedient lackeys.

She wouldn’t let him intimidate her, even if he was a siren, just like her. Even if he had more power than she did – at least right now, with how exhausted being pumped full of Eridium and forced to charge vault keys until she finally died from over-exertion. Even if he nearly killed her the last time their paths had crossed. She would not let him see that she had any fear of him in her mind.

Or she wouldn’t have let Rhys intimidate her, if she didn’t notice the collar snap off of him and fall harmlessly to the floor. Then she became incredibly alarmed – she had no way to fight back against Rhys, she was just as powerless against him as a normal person would be. Only worse, because she had literally nothing to defend herself and she was trapped between him and the wall.

The last time that she and Rhys had fought, they had been more or less evenly matched. The elements that they were able to call forward were opposite – Her powers were destructive and she could call forth fire. His powers were more repressive and he could call forth ice. She had hated that she had eventually lost to him, but at least it was a fight. This time it wasn’t so much of a fight as a beat down – and a brutal one at that.

Rhys’ arm began to light up immediately, “You don’t know anything about me or Jack or Angel.” He hissed, “You. Are. Nothing.” He snapped, his arm pushed forward as he spoke. Ice drew forth from him and he slapped his palm against the wall. The room got colder and colder and colder until the temperature was below freezing. His voice was cold and much more cruel sounding than it had ever been before. “You’re just some pathetic bandit that couldn’t even stop Jack from killing her bandit boyfriend.” Her eyes narrowed, as Rhys’ looked at her cruelly. Then he hit her again with another blast of ice, one that coated her chest with splintery, painful dry ice.

She started to bleed as the ice hit her and she got colder and colder and colder, her lips began to be coated with a sickly blue hue, her skin getting paler by the second. A single, solitary tear rolled down her cheek and she was so cold that it turned to ice against her skin. “And you know what?” Rhys asked, leaning in close. “He deserved it. When Jack shot him in the back? That’s what he deserved to get.” His voice was low and cruel, practically a whisper.

Lilith was so weak that she could barely squirm or move away from the ice wielding siren that was in front of her, holding her captive and slowly killing her. “And when Jack slapped that collar around your throat, that was the first time that you were exactly where you belonged.” He hissed. “Because no matter what you do or however much you pretend, you’re nothing more than a savage bandit.”

Then… Time stood still. Everything stood still. Except for Rhys, who still moved with just as much speed and strength as he normally possessed. Lilith stopped moving and blinking. Everything stopped. Everything except for Rhys. On some level, he must have realized what was happening but he wasn’t completely conscious of it.

He grabbed her with a grunt, because she was so heavy in this state – much heavier than she was in real time – but he wasn’t bothered by the extra dead weight that she was carrying. Adrenaline strengthened him. He threw her down onto the floor after a moment or two and she landed nearly a foot away from where he through her. When everything started up and time started moving on its own again, Lilith was overcome with pain and agony at being grabbed and crushed. When Rhys was finally done with her and she was dropped down on the floor, Lilith didn’t scream or cry, she didn’t make a peep. She just crumpled up on the floor in a pathetic heap of her own limbs. That was when he finally came back to his senses.

He looked down at Lilith – who looked like she may as well have already been dead – he was overcome with a mixture of grief and anxiety. He hadn’t meant to do something like this. Truthfully, he hadn’t even meant to attack her at all, with anything other than his own words. He put his hand up to his mouth as he looked upon her crumpled up form. This wasn’t good, he thought, this wouldn’t end well for him.

“Oh god, oh god.” He muttered panic bubbling out of him as he ran towards her. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” He snapped, running his fingers through his hair while tears burst out of him. He ran to her side to go and check on her. She had to be alright. She had to be alright. Rhys didn’t know what he would do – and what Jack would do to him, he thought with a lot of wariness – if he ended up killing her. He really hadn’t meant to hurt her, even though he hated her, he hadn’t wanted to do anything even close to that. Rhys ran towards Lilith and knelt by her side. “Shit, shit, shit…” He mumbled.

He took a breath to calm himself and flipped her over so that she was laying on her back. She wheezed and gasped in pain. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” He babbled, “I didn’t mean it, I promise…” He patted her cheek, as gently as he could manage, to get her to stay conscious. She was alive, at the very least.

Lilith’s eyes shot open and she glared at Rhys with hatred and anger in her eyes. If she wasn’t still collared and chained up, he would have been anxious and afraid of what she would do to him. “You fucking…!” was all that she could say, and even that came out pathetically weak. “Get…” She wheezed painfully, “the hell…” Another gasp, “away…” another wheeze and a cough, “from me! you freak…!”

Rhys refused to do as she asked, more concerned with her well being than anxious about her shouting and insults towards him. “It’s okay.” He soothed, “It’s okay, you’re okay…” He stood up and took a few steps away from her. Rhys was just happy that he didn’t end up killing her. That was more than he could have hoped for. It was the best possible outcome for what he did. Lilith glowered at Rhys, like she hated him, watching him warily as he stood up.

“I’m sorry. I really am.” He said, a genuinely sorrowful tone coming out from him. Lilith didn’t say anything else to him, she just sunk downwards, but Rhys could tell that she wasn’t happy with him. That she didn’t even believe that he was sorry to hurt her, that he was just sorry for himself. Rhys didn’t know how true that was and he didn’t want to think about it like that. He turned on his heel, putting forth a concerted effort to wipe the incident out of his memory as he walked out the door.

He walked out of the cell, leaving Lilith locked away and suffering once again. As he took the first few steps outside, he was in a daze. It was like he hadn’t even realized what he had done, like he had consciously wiped it from his memory. And then everything went black as Rhys was tazed and his unconscious body was dragged away by two heavily armored, armed guards.


	14. Chapter 14

Days later, Rhys woke up in a containment cell. He had been here only once before, when he had first come into Jack’s custody he had stayed there while Jack had a control collar built especially for him. There was some strange technology there, built into the walls or the vents – Jack hadn’t really explained to him what it was, so Rhys could only make barely educated guesses – that muted Rhys’ powers in a similar way to the way they were muted with the collar.

It took him a minute to remember everything that had taken place before he was dragged away by the guards. Jack wouldn’t be happy with him, he knew that and while he was willing to take whatever punishment that the older man would decide to dole out to him, he couldn’t help but feel afraid of what the punishment will be. He sat up and groaned before he hugged his knees to his chest to comfort himself. He pleaded quietly, to whatever gods there still were left in the universe – whether he believed in them or not – that Jack would understand why he did what he did, that he would at least hear him out before he took his anger out on Rhys. All he could hope for was a little bit of mercy.

“Jeez…” He muttered, remembering the flashes of pain that he had felt when those guards had electrocuted him. He looked around at the space to do some reconnaissance on the situation that he was in. He quickly realized that he was laying on a hospital cot and his cybernetics had been dismantled and taken from him, so he was left with one arm and one eye to work with. He didn’t like being without all of his faculties and he hoped that Jack didn’t decide to keep him helpless like that as a punishment. Rhys frowned, his hand going up towards his neck. He stroked at the bare skin and whimpered at the lack of weight against his throat. It felt wrong to Rhys, like some sort of atrocity had been committed against him by taking it from him.

At that moment, Jack walked in. There was blood spray all over him – on his collar, his jacket, his pants and even his boots. He must have just come back from a massacre. Rhys couldn’t help but wonder with a morbid sort of curiosity as to who he had killed, how many of them there had been, how long it had taken for them to be killed. Jack sat next to Rhys on the cot and Rhys struggled with himself not to squirm away from him.

“Do you know what I just did?” Jack asked. Rhys shook his head. Jack grinned, like a maniac and continued on speaking, in a tone that struck a very delicate balance between one you would use for a child and one you would use for someone you were about to hurt. “I just got back from killing two of my guards. And you know why?” Rhys shook his head again, “Because I saw some of my guards, the men I’m supposed to trust, dragging you away and locking you in this very cell. I thought they got hired by some bandits and were trying to do a coup, wouldn’t be the first time.” Jack sneered, “So, I got rid of ‘em. It was only when I looked over some security footage to see what had happened to you that you got taken out so easily.” He growled, “Then I saw what you did.”

Jack sounded angrier and angrier with each and every word that said. “My collar is gone.” Rhys realized out loud and looked at him helplessly. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls and his head felt heavy. Each moment felt to him like it took place years apart. “I don’t…Jack, why is it still gone?” He asked. Even though he knew what had happened. He didn’t know why Jack didn’t just put another one on him, he knew that he had extras hidden away for just this sort of occasion. It worried him, even in this room he didn’t feel safe without it locked around his neck. Over the years of being under Jack, of being owned by him, the collar had become as comforting to him as a security blanket.

More comforting even. Jack looked at him for a moment as if he had grown another head, “Your collar is gone because you broke your collar.” He growled, anger present and obvious in his tone and demeanor. “You remember what you did, Rhysie?” He asked, rhetorically as he took sweeping steps towards the younger man. Rhys flinched at the severity in his tone. If he wasn’t so reverent of the older man, he would have run away and hid for as long as he needed to, to escape Jack’s rages while they were at their worst. Rhys didn’t have that privilege, so the only thing that he could do was keep his head down, be quiet and hope that he wouldn’t be punished too severely.

Suddenly, Jack was very close, with one hand braced around his throat – not constricting, but silently warning him that he could wring his neck if he wanted to. “You nearly killed that siren bitch again. That’s twice now.” He said, “And this time, you don’t have the excuse of doing it to protect me. You just did it because you wanted to. I thought you understand that you don’t get to make those kind of choices. You agreed to that. You wanted that.” He added, “So, what do you have to say for yourself?” He asked.

Rhys looked down in shame for a moment and fidgeted with the thin hospital sheet that lay underneath him. “I don’t know…” He said, visibly trembling. “I’m not… I didn’t mean-”

Jack stopped Rhys from saying anything else and snapped, because Rhys wasn’t saying what he wanted to hear. “You don’t know. You don’t know? You nearly unraveled months and months of work that I did to have my revenge-” He paused and readjusted, “To avenge Angel! All of that and all you can say, is that you don’t know.” He mocked. “That’s not fucking good enough. So, I’ll ask you one more time, because I’m nice like that. Rhysie. What do you have to say for yourself? And I don’t want to hear any more excuses.” Jack was practically hissing at this point and Rhys was suddenly filled with another outpouring of regret.

Rhys knew that Jack intended to kill Lilith anyways, that had always been the plan – and it was only fair in their eyes, after all she had killed Angel and if it weren’t for Rhys’ intervention she would have killed Jack at the vault – but he wanted to do it on his terms. He wanted to torture her, humiliate her and cause her all kinds of physical and emotional pain. Pain that he would drag out as long as possible until he finally decided to end her life once and for all.

“I’m sorry.” He said meekly, looking at Jack with big, pleading eyes. He hated feeling like he had disappointed Jack and he would have done anything in that moment to earn his forgiveness. “I’m sorry daddy. I lost control. I know that’s no excuse but she just makes me so mad.” His face contorted into a grimace, “I hate her, I hate her so fucking-” Jack’s hand tightened around his throat and he squeaked.

“Language, Rhysie.” He warned. Rhys nodded frantically, mumbling panicked apologies, and he eased up the pressure on the younger mans’ throat in response to the show of fealty. Rhys frowned, momentarily thinking to explain to Jack that it hadn’t been intentional and that he would never dare betray the older man – he loved Jack and he needed him. Why didn’t he understand that he would never do anything to hurt him intentionally? – before he thought better of it. “What’s the matter with you? Don’t you want to make me happy princess?” Jack asked, his fingers tracing against Rhys’ collarbones in an absent-minded, unconscious sort of way.

Rhys didn’t speak, he didn’t know what he was supposed to say. Jack didn’t like that, it wasn’t the response that he was expecting out of the younger man. So he decided to press him further. Jack pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose in a show of exasperation. Then he sighed, like he was incredibly disappointed in the younger man.

“I thought you cared about making me happy? I thought that you liked belonging to me, baby? What happened to that?” He asked, his tone of voice came across as sorrowful and disappointed. “Maybe you don’t want to be here anymore, after all we’ve been through.” His hand moved away from Rhys and stood up, like he was going to walk away and leave Rhys alone in the cell – or worse, tell him to leave Helios and that he could be on his own from now on.

Rhys had no idea what he should have said to Jack, he had no idea how to find the words to tell him how sorry he was. His mouth opened and closed, little whimpers coming out of him. Jack didn’t like that and the next thing that Rhys knew, he slammed his hand over the sirens’ tiny mouth to silence him. “You know what?” He snapped, “Save it. I don’t wanna hear even one more word coming out of your stupid, little mouth.” He said and Rhys quickly set his mouth in a tight, little line – nodding meekly as he did so. He was concerned solely about damage control at this point, making sure that he was acquiescent enough to whatever punishment that Jack decided to dole out that it wouldn’t last too long or be brutal when it was forced upon him.

“You-” Jack groaned in aggravation and grabbed Rhys’ chin, pinching his face tight in his big hand as he did so. “look at me.” He hissed and Rhys brought his attention to the forefront, while Jack’s thumb teased at his lower lip in a gesture that seemed to soothe the rage that was underpinning his incredibly foul mood. Rhys looked at Jack with a fearful sort of reverence and kept his eyes locked onto the older mans. Jack liked eye contact, as a sign of respect from Rhys – especially when he was angry with the amber haired siren.

“You need to be reminded on whose in charge here, right. Cause it’s not you, you should know that. It’s what we agreed on, Rhysie. You should know better.” He reminded him, “But don’t you worry because you and me, we’re gonna work on that.” He said as he grabbed Rhys’ face. “And I’ll take as long as I need to, do as much as I have to, to make sure you remember your place.” He promised, “Understand, princess?” He asked in a small, giddy voice. Rhys nodded frantically, but didn’t voice his assent. Jack stroked a hand down Rhys’ cheek in a mockery of a comforting gesture. Then Rhys blacked out once again, when Jack’s hands wrapped around his throat and _squeezed_.

The siren fell limp in the older mans’ arms and Jack pressed a kiss to his forehead as he tucked him into bed. “You might not understand this right now, Rhysie, but I’m doing this for your own good. For the benefit of us both, I promise.” He explained into Rhys’ ear. He slowly pulled away and walked out the door, leaving Rhys locked up in the cell.

* * *

After Rhys passed out, Jack decided to take a victory lap to the cell that he had moved Lilith into, it was even smaller and more dilapidated than the last one had been. He had no doubt that she felt even more like a prisoner there then she ever had before. That was good, in Jack’s mind, she deserved to suffer. She deserved to spend every moment for the rest of her life in emotional and physical agony. She deserved to burn in hell for what she did to his family. To his daughter, to Rhys, to his fucking face.

And she would pay, very soon, she would pay for her every awful thing that she had done to him and Jack would never have to deal with her again. He knew that her troupe of bandits would be a problem – in time. But he would take them down too, one by one. He wondered if he should have done that at the beginning – maybe if he had employed a divide and conquer strategy, took all of the team off one by one as well as killing new vault hunters… things would have been easier. But he couldn’t allow himself to stop and think of what he could have done better, he could only keep moving forward.

And maybe someday, when he conquered the galaxy, he could bring himself to forget all of the losses that he had been forced to take. Maybe someday that would make him truly happy. Somewhere deep down inside of himself, Jack highly doubted that – but he chose to believe it anyways. Anything to dull the searing ache that losing Angel had brought him.

Jack walked into the cell with a great big smile spread across his face as he looked down his nose at the siren. She groaned and an angered, defeated expression spread across her face. It was obvious that Handsome Jack was the last person that she wanted or needed to see right then. “Wow, you look like shit.” Jack commented to greet her, his tone jovial and mocking – filled with mirth. “Rhysie sure did a number on you, didn’t he?” He chuckled, “You know… s’funny. I didn’t think he had it in him. Guess I was wrong.”

“You planned this.” Lilith accused, then she threw her head back and laughed bitterly. “Of course you planned this. You manipulative monster. Of course you would make that… boy come here and attack me. I should have known he wouldn’t do anything without your say-so.” She snapped viciously, as though she thought her words might be cruel enough that it would be able to hurt Jack in any real manner. She was wrong on that front.

“Plan?” Jack replied, playing innocent for just a moment. “No, no this wasn’t part of any plan.” He explained, “I didn’t make Rhys do anything. I didn’t ask him to go see you, in fact, after that little stunt he pulled a few nights ago, he’s getting punished.” He added. “And I ain’t going easy on him, either.”

Lilith cringed at that, it seemed horribly cruel to punish the siren for doing exactly what Jack wanted him to do. “You’re despicable.” She hissed at him, trying to maintain a mirage of strength around him. She refused to tremble and bow, even though she was sure that the day that Jack and Hyperion decided to kill her was going to be very soon.

Jack shrugged, grinning cruelly as he looked down his nose at her. “Rhysie knows better than to go and do things like that, he understands that he needs to be punished.” He explained, “And he’s not mad about it either, he’ll take what he’s given, cause he’s a good boy like that.” There was a strange fondness in Jacks’ eyes as he spoke about the siren.

It was clear in Lilith’s mind that Jack did care about Rhys, in his own sick and cruel way. It was unhealthy and depraved, their relationship was woven into a strict hierarchy where Jack ruled over the siren and Rhys seemed to want to be ruled over and controlled. Lilith didn’t think that Jack was capable of loving anyone and she would never understand the type of person that Rhys was. Maybe he was the only person that could ever stand to be by Jack’s side without feeling suffocated by him.

She didn’t understand them and the more that she dwelt on it, the more that she realized that she did not want to understand them. “You disgust me.” She said, subconsciously pressing herself against the wall and making herself small – she hated that she was compelled to be so timid and acquiescent. She wished that she had a gun, or that she wasn’t chained down to this cell.

“You know, I don’t really care what a filthy, skag fucking bandit thinks of me.” Jack said, moving down so that he was at her level for once. “But you know, all of the moralism coming from someone like you?” He laughed. “That’s cute, kiddo, really it is.” Then he moved so that he was once again standing above her and he kicked Lilith in the stomach.

Lilith bit down hard on her tongue so that she wouldn’t cry out – but Jack hit hard, she wasn’t sure how much more of this she could take. Jack slapped her across the face, kicked her again and again – in the stomach and on her back – until the siren, finally, broke down into tears. That was what he wanted to see. He wanted to see Lilith break down and finally show him what a sad, pathetic little bandit she really was. He wanted her to realize that she was going to lose and it would all be her own fault in the end.

If Lilith had only let Jack have what he wanted back on Elpis, if she hadn’t paired with Moxxi and betrayed him – then nothing bad would have happened to her. He could have made Pandora safe a long time ago. Things would have been much easier if she and her bandit friends didn’t obstruct his path to victory. But Jack had won now, he had the warrior at his side – he had his perfect siren Rhys at his beck and call. And he had the Fire-Hawk on her hands and knees, coughing up her own blood.

Jack laughed as she struggled to make herself presentable again. He laughed as she trembled and tears fell down her cheeks. It was obvious to him that her own helplessness was really setting in, it was obvious that the realization that she was going to suffer – and suffer a lot, at that – was becoming more and more real for her. “Does it hurt Lilith?” He asked. Lilith didn’t answer, she stayed silent and still.

That was fine though, Jack could see the answer to his question written across her glum looking face.

Jack grabbed Lilith by the hair and pulled her up so that they were practically face to face. “If you think this is painful, just imagine how much you made me, my daughter and Rhys suffer.” He snarled at her before he dropped her to the ground again. Jack sighed as he looked down at her. She looked truly cowed, nearly broken – that was good, that was what he wanted. “Get some rest, siren, you’re gonna need it for I’ve got in store for you soon.” Jack said, a cruel grin spread across his face.

Lilith let out a shuddering sigh and curled up in on herself as Jack looked at the broken down siren underneath him. She didn’t say another word, even though she was sure that Jack wished to bait her into snarling at him or attacking him again. But she wouldn’t take him up on that, she knew that Jack would go far enough that she was at death’s door before he brought her back and made her suffer more.

Lilith had already had one near death experience that week, she didn’t want to deal with another one.

Jack was slightly disappointed that she didn’t bother to fight him anymore, but he knew that that meant that everything was going to plan. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He said. “You know, when it comes down to it, you bandits are all cowards in the end. All. Of. You.” He spoke authoritatively, like he knew Lilith and her cohorts better than they knew themselves.

“I’m not a coward!” Lilith was seething at this point.

“Oh really?” Jack raised a brow at her, chuckling a bit under his breath as he spoke. “Then why don’t you come and fight me. Come on, do something Fire-Hawk. Fucking hit me, something!” He challenged her, goading her on in the hopes that she would try and attack so he could brutalize her all over again. That was the fun part – making her suffering her own damn fault – and Jack relished in it.

Again Lilith did nothing and she felt ashamed of herself for it. She felt like she was taking so many losses against Jack – she had lost her own autonomy, as well as her friends, she had watched her boyfriend die in front of her. Now she was losing an emotional battle – Jack was taking one of the only things that she had left, her pride. He was taking her pride and snuffing it out like the last embers of a worn down flame – and there was nothing she could do to stop him. She was totally powerless.

Jack chuckled cruelly and shook his head. “Well, I got better things to do than hang around here with you.” He said. “See ya later, pumpkin.” He said with a false, condescending sort of sweetness in his tone. Jack locked up the cell and walked down the hall to draw the attention of one of the guards watching over Lilith. The man was quick to address him professionally with a, “What do you need, Handsome Jack, sir?” that Jack appreciated very much.

Jack grinned, “I’m heading out for the night, the prisoner got a little bloody – you know how it is.” He chuckled. “Make sure to hose her down and get her some new rags while your at it.” He demanded.

“Of course, sir.” The guard replied, “We’ll get on it, right away.” He said.

Jack nodded, “Good, I like the professionalism. Keep the good work up and you might get out of this skag pit soon.” He said vaguely as he walked past the man on his way out of the prison. He could tell, even without looking at him, that the guard was beaming from the possibility of getting out of this stifling, sterile place.

When Jack got back to his penthouse, he took a shower and cleaned the scent of prison and gore off of his body. After he got out of the water and dressed himself once again, he sat down in his study and forced himself to focus on his work.

Eventually, many hours and drinks later, Jack found himself missing Rhys’ presence, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. For the sirens’ own sake, he needed to be punished. Jack knew how much it would heighten Rhys’ nerves if Jack let this go – and at the same time, Jack didn’t like the idea of letting things go with Rhys. Even if it all worked out in his favor, it wouldn’t be good to let the siren think he could get away with this sort of thing. So, tomorrow, he would deal with Rhys.

* * *

Before Rhys was allowed to leave the containment cell, Jack had decided that he needed to be punished and trained to behave once again. Rhys would have been lying if he said he wasn’t afraid of what Jack had planned for him, but he would take his punishment. He would do anything to be back in Jack’s good graces once again – anything was better than being locked away in a small dark room and ignored for the rest of his days. Even death was better than that.

Jack’s punishments for him had been varied – he had been whipped, spanked with Jack’s bare hand, he had been choked, he had been waterboarded and had his head forced underwater until he passed out. He had been choked on the older mans’ cock, Jack had forced his fist and his cock inside of him until he was aching, sore or bleeding…he had done everything to Rhys that he had wanted to do and escalated the intensity of what he wanted until Rhys was skittish, trembling and afraid to even think of acting out in front of the older man.

Rhys had endured nearly two months of grueling punishment before there was even a chance that he would be allowed to leave. By the time that he had been permitted to leave, his body was covered in black and blue bruises and a soreness that had all of his bones and joints aching each time that he bothered to move even an inch or two. The day that Jack decided that Rhys was through with his punishment and had earned his freedom again – he arrived with a small meal, some alcohol… and a small metal box that Rhys couldn’t have any idea what the contents were.

Rhys sat up with attention as Jack walked into the room with the gifts and supplies, “Well… look at you.” Jack crooned, looking down at the siren as he took strides towards him. “Behaving so well, it’s about time!” He added as he sat on the cot next to Rhys. “I missed seeing you like this.” He purred as an afterthought.

Rhys smiled serenely at the older man. “Thank you, daddy.” He said, his tone of voice pleasant and gentle. Before Jack had walked into the room, Rhys had been preoccupying himself by staring at the wall and thinking about what he would do whenever he would be allowed out of this cell – mainly what he would do with Jack, to make it up to him, make sure that he was happy with him and stayed happy with him for the rest of their lives.

Jack laid out a small, simple meal of bland foods for him and directed Rhys to eat. The siren did as he was told, slowly picking at the meal and taking sips of liquor whenever Jack offered him some. It didn’t take Rhys long until the meal was mostly eaten and he was tipsy from the alcohol. “Feel good?” Jack asked him, adoring in the sleepy and satisfied expression on Rhys’ face. “Yeah, it’s been awhile since I gave you something like this. Its been bread and water for the past month or so.” Rhys hummed noncommittally. “Are you full now, kitten?” He asked.

Rhys nodded once more at that. “Alright. Then c’mere and sit on my lap.” Jack directed the younger man, his tone easy and gentle – much more so than he had been with Rhys in the months prior – Rhys crawled over to where Handsome Jack sat with his thighs spread and scrambled into the older mans’ lap. Jack grinned against Rhys’ back, before pressing a few fluttery kisses all over the area – the back of his neck, his upper back and shoulders. “Good boy.” He cooed in Rhys’ ear, “You’ve been behaving so well, for a while. Matter of fact, I think that you’re ready to go back, now.” He added, his voice teasing, cloying and just a little bit mean.

Rhys let out a whimper as one of Jack’s hands moved downwards to tease between his legs, his thumb rubbing circles. Rhys was slick and wet from the tiny bits of attention that he received in moments, much to Jack’s pleasure. In seconds, Rhys’ breath came out in puffs and little whines. “You’re so fucking easy.” He muttered, mostly to himself, as he kept teasing him.

“You’re so fucking sensitive everywhere, in every single way.” He added. Jack’s fingers plunged inside of him, twisting and thrusting roughly in and out of him. Rhys whimpered and moaned, “Every time that I get my hands on you, in moments your melting for me.” He cooed, “So cute.” Rhys whimpered out a ‘thank you’ before he cried out as he was fucked with the older man’s thick fingers.

It didn’t take Rhys’ long until he was coming on his fingers. He was incredibly overwhelmed as Jack kept on touching and teasing him through the aftershocks of his orgasm. Jack kept speaking to him as if nothing was happening to him, like it was business as usual. “Would you like that, kitten?” He asked, before he took to nosing along the slope of his neck and pressed kisses all over the delicate, abused skin. His hand dove underneath Rhys’ threadbare top and took to teasing, pulling and pinching at his nipples. “Hm?” He added, drawing Rhys to his attention.

“I don’t understand what you mean?” Rhys replied, his voice high and whining. Being in Jack’s presence made him feel ditzy and out of sorts but especially now when he had his hands on Rhys, teasing and touching him in the way that he was. Jack looked at him in mock offense and Rhys cocked his head in confusion.

“I’m asking if you wanna get out of this cell, dummy.” Jack responded, flicking his fingers against Rhys’ cheek in a teasing sort of way. Rhys exclaimed wordlessly at that, “You think you’re ready for all of that?” He asked, his voice low and husky. “You ready yet to be by my side again?” He asked, “Ready to wear your collar again? Be my perfect little siren, just like things were before?”

Jack asked each question quickly and in succession with one another, so quickly that Rhys could barely understand what he was being asked. “Um.” Rhys replied dumbly as he tried to process all of the words that Jack had said to him in the moments past.

“I’m waiting on an answer, pumpkin.” Jack reminded him, less than patiently. If he hadn’t been sitting with Rhys in his lap, he might have been pointing towards his watch and tapping his foot to highlight how little patience he had for Rhys’ lack of a proper response. The siren answered him wordlessly, with a tiny and tearful nod. “Great, I knew that you wouldn’t disappoint me for too long.”

Jack slapped Rhys’ naked thigh, “Now, were gonna go and make that Firehawk bitch wish that she would have burned down on Pandora.” He growled as he squeezed and pinched at Rhys’ thighs. “But first…” He trailed off as he pushed Rhys down on the cot and forced his legs to spread wide once again, so he could take his pleasure in the siren’s body again.

While Jack fucked him hard and mean, he muttered to Rhys about what he was gonna do to Lilith – how he and Jack would torture her and the two of them would humiliate and debase her until they finally ended her life. The whole time, Rhys beamed up at the older man – he couldn’t wait for her to get exactly what she deserved.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning: this is the chapter where Lilith dies. you saw the warnings, "sorry lilith stans" and "kill lilith" thats why they are there. i assume yall predicted this and if ur following my twit you already knew about this. but yeah this is the part where she dies so....watch out for that.

Rhys had thought that the containment cell that he was being kept in was cramped and uncomfortable, but it had nothing on the one that Lilith had been stuffed inside of after their little fight. It was pretty much a human sized box with a cot in the middle of it. She had enough room to stand and walked out of the cell and that was it. It wasn’t dirty or unsanitary, it was just tiny and cramped up so that she was always just a little bit too uncomfortable for her to ever completely relax.

In a way, it was a good thing – it reminded her that she always needed to be on her toes. She couldn’t afford to get complacent around Handsome Jack or that male siren that followed him around like a little lost puppy. She grumbled to herself as she thought about the siren – what was his name, again? Rice? Reese? Rhis? She supposed that it didn’t really matter in the long run because the siren didn’t matter in any other way than the way that he would be a danger to her.

And she knew that he would be a danger to her, because he had been in the past – he was the reason that she was still trapped here, if it wasn’t for him she wouldn’t even be trapped in this cell in the first place – not to mention the fact that he almost killed her on a whim the last time that they had crossed paths. Once she got out of this collar, she thought, she was gonna make that kid suffer for fucking over her like this. She would make him burn from the inside out, once she had the capacity to use her abilities again. Lilith was snapped out of her thoughts by the door to her cell opening for the first time in days. She stiffened and sat up to attention as she stared at the door.

When it fully opened up, she wasn’t surprised to see Jack – as he was the only one that saw her most of the time – but she was a little bit surprised to see the siren standing by his side. “Come on out.” Jack hissed, “I won’t ask you twice.” Lilith shook her head and glared at the Hyperion CEO with hate in her eyes. Jack sighed like she was a child that he was incredibly disappointed in.

The next thing that she knew, shocks had coursed throughout her entire body – leaving her in painful fits as wave after wave after wave of electricity was forced through her. “Come out.” He said again and this time Lilith crawled, on her hands and knees like an animal because that was all she could stand to do, towards him. “Theeere we go. Finally acting civilized.” He praised with a fake smile spread across his face. “Took ya long enough.” He added crudely.

Lilith had a sour expression on her face, one that made Jack feel even more cruelly satisfied at the sight of her misery. She deserved it, in his mind. She deserved all of the pain and suffering that they all doled out upon her. She was a murderer and a child killer. She deserved all of the pain and suffering in the world. Jack pulled her to her feet by her hair – it was all in knots, because she had been stuffed in that cramped space for so long that it eventually just morphed into a rats nest a top her head.

Rhys looked at her, his features morphed into an expression that showcased his distaste for her appearance. “J-jack maybe we should have her cleaned up a bit?” He suggested.

“No.” Jack hissed, his voice filled to the brim with contempt for her. “She looks just fine. Just like a bandit should.” He added. It was obvious to Lilith that he was gearing up into a rage. His hatred for her and his rage over Angel’s death had festered and rotten in the months that she had been prisoner on Helios.

“But the-” He started to say, but Jack cut him off with a slap across the face. It probably sounded worse than it actually was, but Rhys whimpered all the same – fixing Jack with a wounded look. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Then Jack dropped Lilith and motioned for some guards to bind her hands behind her back. He moved over to where Rhys stood and cupped the younger man’s chin, tipping it towards him. “I’m sorry.” He repeated, even more quietly.

Jack’s hand coiled around the back of his throat and Rhys let out a quiet gasp. He pulled Rhys closer as he continued to apologize on repeat. “I know, baby, I know…” He mumbled, pressing his lips to Rhys’ briefly before he let the siren go. Rhys watched as Lilith was dragged to Jack by the guards. He grabbed the siren by the back of her neck once again and forced her to walk along with them through the halls of Helios. The walk was long and quiet with Lilith to one side of Jack while Rhys scurried alongside on the other side loyally.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination and walked into a smallish room that was about twenty degrees colder than the rest of Helios. Suddenly, Lilith became aware of all the cameras that were trained upon them. That didn’t bode well for her. Whatever Jack had planned for her… would be televised. The thought made her feel sick with worry and unease. She looked around the room – it looked like an eerie replica of the BNK3R where Angel had been held before her suicide. In the middle of the room there was a containment pod, with large Eridium injectors

That really didn’t bode well for her. She struggled with all the strength that she had left inside of her as Jack and Rhys forced her inside of the containment pod. “N-no, get off of me! You can’t do this!” She screamed at them, much to Jack’s amusement. She struggled, scratched and kicked out at them – but eventually she was locked into the containment pod – her arms and legs trapped inside giant cuffs so she couldn’t move even an inch.

Even if the collar snapped off her, she wouldn’t be able to save herself. It was the perfect revenge for someone as ruthless and self-assured as Lilith had been. It was also fitting that she die just like Angel had, in both Rhys and Jacks’ mind it was only fair. “Citizens of Pandora.” Jack said, speaking into an intercom system that rang out across the planet. Rhys was sure that people were turned towards his attention, he imagined them hanging on Jacks’ every word in much the same way that Rhys did.

Jack let out an easy laugh as he explained what was going to happen, “This child killer is going to pay for murdering my daughter!” He yelled into the intercom, his tone walking a delicate line between enraged and overjoyed. “And you are all gonna watch!” He said, the words directed mostly at the Vault Hunters that had managed to get away in the chaos at their last battle. He knew that he would catch them all one day and make them suffer a similar fate. But that day was not today, so he focused his attention back on the red haired siren in front of them. He smiled cruelly and started up the machine.

The cuffs on her arms and legs pricked her with needles that drew forth inside of them, then they were quickly attached to huge Eridium injectors, large as tanks. Then they started to empty, being forced inside of her veins at lightning speeds. “Jack?” Rhys questioned, briefly glancing at the older man, before his attention returned to the grotesque sight in front of them. Lilith looked like she was in immense pain, her body writhed and ached, she screamed so loudly that it was deafening. Rhys could barely hear his own thoughts over her agonized cries.

“Yes, kitten?” Jack responded, not taking his eyes off of Lilith for even a second, he didn’t want to miss the show.

“What if it doesn’t kill her?” He asked, morbid curiosity building in him. “I mean, I know that it’s a lot of Eridium but she did use it often before we caught her.”

‘Before Angel was murdered.’ Rhys thought with a sick feeling at the memory, but he refused to say that out loud – simply because it wasn’t a good idea. Thinking about her for more than a second filled him with unease, anger and misery. Not to mention the fact that saying her name out loud often geared the older man up into a murderous sort of rage.

Jack chuckled, “Oh baby, don’t you worry about that.” He replied, his voice low and cruel, like he knew exactly how this would play out – like he had seen it in a vision. “It’ll kill her… just watch.” He directed. So Rhys did as he was told and watched her torture in silence. He watched as tank after tank after tank after tank – gallons of Eridium were forced inside of her, overwhelming her and burning her veins from the inside out.

Her death would be incredibly costly, but in Jack’s mind it was more than worth the cost. After nearly ten minutes of having Eridium forced into her veins, the containment pod opened up and she fell out. She didn’t stand, but crawled forth towards them. Then the collar popped off of her and her head lifted up to glare at them. “I’m going to kill you.” She growled and forced herself to stand.

“Jack!” He snapped, “She’s out-” He started to panic, but was quickly shushed by the older man. He pushed Rhys out of the way, to a relatively safe space. Jack gestured crudely at Lilith before he demanded that she give him her best shot. Lilith did not disappoint him in that regard.

The next thing that Rhys knew, Lilith struck out at Jack with the full force of her abilities – leaving the entire Bunker in chaos. Bits and pieces of electrical wiring were on fire. Smoke swirled around the lot of them, overwhelming Rhys’ senses. Rhys coughed and searched around the smoke filled area to the best of his abilities. When the anti-fire measures activated – sprinklers and fire extinguishers came out in full force to prevent the fire from spreading even further – he was finally able to see and breath.

As soon as he saw Jack, he ran over to him. “Jack, Jack!” Rhys babbled, panicked as he searched over the older mans face and body. He was a little banged and bruised up – but otherwise, he looked fine, much to Rhys’ relief. “Are you okay?” He asked, even though he was sure that Jack was gonna survive.

“I’m fine.” Jack said, and then he started to cackle. “That bandit bitch is the one that you should worry about-” He grabbed Rhys and swerved him around where Lilith was splayed out on the ground, dead from the sheer force of her own abilities. “Fucking look at her, Rhysie. Isn’t it beautiful?” He asked, his tone filled with a sadistic sort of glee. “I gave her one more shot at me and all she could do was fucking die. What a pathetic little savage.” He laughed meanly at the sight of her.

Rhys did as he was told and looked down at what was left of Lilith, “The Firehawk.” Jack wasn’t wrong, she did look pathetic. Rhys looked at her with a morbid sort of fascination – Lilith was nothing like him, in any material sort of way. He knew that, but he couldn’t help but feel like he – and Angel, but he hated to think about her for too long or he would become miserable and self-hating once again – were reflected in her very unceremonious death. Her skin was purple, Eridium secreting out of her – no one was meant to take that much at once, even a siren that had been through the vaults like she had. It was sickly and looked grotesque to him in a deeply personal sort of way. The sight of her elicited a primal fear in him, something dark and deep that even he didn’t fully understand.

For a fraction of a second, the thought, “That could be me splayed out on the floor right there.” crossed his mind, before he shook the thoughts away. That was ridiculous, he told himself, Jack would never do anything like that to him. Jack loved him. He took care of him and provided him with the structure that he needed to be able to survive. Rhys couldn’t let himself think that Jack would ever do something like that to him. He just couldn’t.

While Rhys was lost in his thoughts, Jack had grabbed Rhys around the waist and dove his hands underneath the bodysuit that Rhys wore in his day to day working for Jack. He threw his head back and ground his hips against Jacks’ own. He could feel his clothed erection rutting against ass. He was always turned on after a good kill like this and Rhys was happy to serve him in whatever way he liked.

Rhys’ flesh hand wandered back, while Jack kissed and molested him, to stroke at his clothed cock. He was whimpering and wet in no time from the bare touches that he received. Jack turned Rhys around and pushed him down onto his knees. “Hands behind your back.” Jack ordered and Rhys did as he was told in moments, locking them behind his back. Jack unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out of their confines. His cock was already hard when it slapped him in the face. Rhys let out a soft sigh at the sight of it – the size and the feel of it – before he dove forward to press kisses all over the shaft. His tongue circled over the fat head of it, before he dived in and hollowed his cheeks out as he took him deeper down his throat.

Jack held him steady enough that he didn’t topple over but otherwise allowed Rhys to go at his own pace while he sucked his cock. “Fuck…” He muttered, mostly to himself as he took to playing with the younger mans’ hair, “Your mouth is so hot, Rhysie. So fucking good…” He praised. Rhys moaned at the praise, squeezing his thighs together as slick coated the insides of his bare upper thighs. He loved it when Jack praised him, it made him feel so good. When Jack was happy with him, he was flying high and filled with delight and arousal. But when Jack wasn’t happy with him…Rhys didn’t like to think about how low he felt when Jack was unhappy with him.

Jack forced to Rhys pull off of him very suddenly, so suddenly that he started whimpering at the loss of the euphoric feeling that having his mouth filled with Jack gave him. “Get up.” Jack demanded, a moan on his lips before he grabbed Rhys by the hair and pulled him up to his feet. He tore at the sirens clothing, until he was practically naked and then maneuvered him in such a way that he was bent over in front of him. He grabbed Rhys’ hips and pulled him backwards onto his cock, eliciting a cry from him as he was penetrated with very little prep.

Jack held onto Rhys with one hand woven in his hair so that Rhys’ head was forced back and his throat was bared for him and the other wrapped tight around his waist as he thrust in and out of him. Rhys felt a little bit like a rag doll that was using as sex toy. Like an object, meant to be used and tossed aside when Jack was done with him. For some reason, the thought of that was arousing to him and he had no idea how he was supposed to feel about that. Maybe it was wrong for him to think – in fact, he was almost entirely sure that it was wrong – but he kind of liked being Jack’s toy. He liked being owned. He liked being used. He liked being useful.

Rhys’ flesh hand dove between his own legs to tease himself, pinching and pulling at his slick soaked clit to bring himself closer to the edge. It didn’t take long for him to get there, either. Rhys’ legs buckled and shook as he came on Jack’s cock and he nearly crumbled onto the floor in a heap of his own limbs in front of the siren corpse. Luckily, Jack grabbed him around the waist and held him up – his legs spread wide and open for the older man. The two of them tumbled down onto the ground together and ended up with Rhys on his hands and knees with his ass up in the air and his cheek pressed against the concrete cell floor. Jack grabbed Rhys’ hips and forced Rhys to back himself up back onto the older mans’ cock. Rhys let out a soft little cry as he was penetrated once again.

Rhys’ mouth fell open, moans tumbling out of him as Jack thrust in and out of him – his motions rough and deep and fast, meant to punish him even though he didn’t know what he had done wrong this time to warrant such punishment. “You’re mine, Rhysie. All mine.” He muttered, briefly leaning into whisper into his ear. “And don’t you ever-” He pulled out all the way and then thrust in harshly, eliciting a cry out of the younger man, “Fucking.” Another brutal thrust. “Forget it.”

Jack came inside of him with a groan, before he pushed forwards and covered Rhys’ body with his own. Rhys whimpered and moaned unintelligibly as Jack slowly pulled out of him. Jack stroked Rhys’ hip and bare thigh in an adoring manner for a moment, before he flipped Rhys over onto his back and spread his legs wide. He spread Rhys’ folds apart with his fingers and dove in with his tongue.

Rhys let out a tiny cry as Jack’s tongue laved over his slick cunt, cleaning him of all the cum and slick inside of him. By the time that Jack figured that he was good and clean, Rhys’ heart was pounding and his breath came out as near panicked moans. He was on the verge of another orgasm, Jack noticed, and he pinched the younger mans’ thighs hard enough to leave little crescent shaped indents all over him and marks that would surely turn to bruises overnight. That just drove the siren closer, which put a smile on Jack’s face. “Are you gonna cum for me, Rhysie?” He cooed, like that was just adorable. Because it was. Rhys always cute when he was desperate and needy, waiting for some relief.

Jack smiled to himself and then he started to pet and tease at the siren’s clit, gently. So gently that it was almost frustrating to Rhys, whatever Jack decided to give him, it wasn’t enough to give him the pleasure and relief that he so desperately needed. “I’m – I’m…” Rhys babbled quietly, already on the verge of tears. Jack shushed him gently and cupped his cunt, teasing and prodding him further.

Rhys whimpered and bucked into his hands. “Jack, please!” He begged quietly, trying his best to rut against the older mans hand but Jack was always just far away enough that he could barely get any friction – definitely not as much as he needed. “H-help me please!” He whined. Apparently, that was the magic word. Jack dove forward again, mouthing at his cunt while his fingers thrust in and out of Rhys. It didn’t take Rhys more than a few minutes to cum again.

The two of them lay there, exhausted and satisfied, while they caught their breath. Rhys was pulled to his feet after a few moments and Jack helped him hastily redress himself. He looked at Jack with an empty and dazed sort of expression. A grin spread across Jacks’ face as he looked at the siren. Rhys looked like a mess – a disheveled, barely dressed, well fucked mess. He stroked Rhys’ cheek, secretly delighting in the way that he melted into the contact. “There’s my special boy.” He commented, his voice low as a growl as he looked at him.

Rhys looked at him, all big brown eyes and lip biting pouts. He still looked so out of sorts, he looked right through Jack, like he wasn’t really all there. Jack decided to set that to rights as quickly as he could. So, he grabbed Rhys by the arm and pulled him along, forcing Rhys out of the dazed and confused head space that he was trapped in. Rhys blinked a few times, then looked back at Lilith’s corpse, before looking back at Jack with that same blank expression. “I, I, I…” He mumbled, mostly to himself. “I… she… um-” He said, his words coming out jumbled, in incoherent sentences.

It was like Rhys had blacked out the sirens death from his memory and the sight of her corpse laying near them had frightened the younger man. Jack didn’t give him room to put two and two together about what had happened and instead, decided to take advantage of the situation. It was always good for him when Rhys was looking lost and frightened – in moments he would be depending on Jack for comfort and security.

He sighed, like Rhys was being so difficult. Then he squeezed the younger mans shoulders in a gentle manner. Rhys wrapped his arms around him desperately, delighted when Jack allowed him to hug and squeeze him as tight as he could – like Jack was the only thing keeping him anchored to reality and even then, he was just barely hanging on by a thread. “Come on, Rhysie. Let’s go back to the penthouse, tonight we can relax and I’ll reward you for being such a good boy for me.” He said, with a shark like grin spread across his face. “But tomorrow…we still got a lot of work to do until the galaxy is finally safe again.” He added, his words carried a heavy weight and significance to them – like his life would change dramatically in the coming weeks and months.

If Rhys had any sort of reservations left in him, he cast them aside entirely and beamed at the older man, his face lit up with a starry eyed expression on his face. He trained his features into a dutiful expression, to show that he cared about helping Jack achieve every little thing that he wanted. “What exactly do you want me to do?” He asked, knowing that no matter what Jack wanted from him he would do it with a smile on his face.

Jack pressed his finger to Rhys’ lips, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” He reminded him. Rhys nodded and let the older man’s thumb slide into his mouth. Jack smiled in a smug sort of way as Rhys’ tongue laved over the digit with a worshipful reverence. When Jack pulled his fingers out of the younger mans’ mouth, Rhys let out a mournful whimper like he had lost something very great. “C’mon, baby. Let’s go have a party. Just you and me.” He said and turned on his heel to stride out of the room. Rhys trailed right after him, just like he was meant to do.

* * *

Hours and many drinks later, the two of them lay down on Jack’s large bed. Rhys lay on his side, completely naked with one of Jack’s arms wrapped around his waist. Jack’s chin was resting on his shoulder as he held the younger man in his arms. This victory had been a long time coming for him, Jack had always known that he would win – that was what he had foreseen at the vault. He would rise from the ashes, victorious after defeating those bandits.

And he had always known that he would be made to suffer many losses – though he had no way of knowing what the specifics were, before they happened. Before he lost his daughter, his girlfriend and many of his closest allies he had assumed that the tragedy would be a little less tragic. Jack was just glad that he had made sure that his siren would always be by his side. It had been a difficult journey, but looking back, it was more than worth all of the trouble that it took for them to get there.

_Jack knew everything that went on on his station. He was all the eyes and ears of the place, nothing went on without him knowing about it – if someone needed to be punished, Jack was there. If someone deserved to be rewarded, Jack was there. So, when Jack had noticed Rhys sneaking off to Lilith’s cell he had been intrigued. Because nothing like that had ever happened before._

_Rhys didn’t have a habit of doing anything without his say so. For the longest time, their dynamic had been clearly set. Jack made all of the decisions – he decided when Rhys got up and when he went to bed, he decided what food he ate, he decided what clothes Rhys wore down to his underwear, he decided when and if he got to have an orgasm. Every little thing that Rhys did was micromanaged by Jack. As far as he knew, this dynamic worked out well for the both of them. They both got what they wanted out of the dynamic._

_Rhys got comfort and security, love and connection, he got a strict routine. Whereas Jack got an unflinchingly obedient and incredibly loyal siren under his control. Even through all of the ups and downs that Rhys had gone through since Angel’s death Rhys had remained unwavering in his loyalty to him and he had someone that he could trust around him._

_So he had watched the exchange with interest. He wanted to see what Rhys would do when no one was there to push him in the right direction – the little siren had always had a killer’s instinct, no matter how much he tried to deny it. Jack had seen what he could do and it was always a thrill to see his Rhysie go from the meek young man that was afraid and ashamed of himself into a powerful, self-assured and coldhearted killer – when he noticed that Rhys was starting to blow up at her, an idea crossed his mind._

_He grabbed his pocket watch and pulled it out. Lilith’s collar didn’t have a key – it didn’t need one, he always knew that she would live and die wearing it once he caught her – but Rhys’ he kept close to his chest, controlled by a device that he had implanted in his pocket watch. The idea that he could keep Rhys at his side, as obedient and submissive as he was now, without needing to use the collar to keep him on a tight leash was one of his biggest fantasies._

_It would probably never happen, mainly because Rhys didn’t want to have control over his own life, he wanted to be made to submit – it was what he always wanted from Jack. Jack would allow him that much, if Rhys needed the collar for him to be able to get out of bed in the morning then he was more than happy to take the reigns for him, put him in his place and keep him on his knees._

_Jack opened up the watch and waited for the perfect moment to release him from the collar. It snapped off of Rhys and he watched in delight as his powers began to activate, without the sirens own knowledge. He grinned as Lilith’s eyes widened and she backed away – she was completely helpless for once in her life. It was a beautiful sight._

_Rhys looked lovely right then, cruel and powerful with not an ounce of remorse for her in him. Jack was mesmerized by the sight of him, all he could do was watch. Jack knew that – for Rhys’ own mental health – when this was over, for Rhys’ own sake, he would need to be punished and he would need to be punished hard. He could never know that he had done exactly what Jack wanted, it would just trigger a melt down._

_But that punishment could wait, for now… he wanted to enjoy the brutality that his Rhysie was capable of when he truly lost control of himself. A smile spread across his face and his hand wandered down between his own legs to grasp at his clothed cock while he watched Rhys tear into the Fire-hawk with cruel words and violent actions._

Rhys shuffled around sleepily, so that he could bury his face into Jack’s face. “Daddy, why’re you staring?” He asked, his voice heavy and sleep filled. He whined quietly as he pressed his cheek against the older mans chest, drawing Jack out of his reverie.

“Nothin’ baby.” Jack murmured back. “Just your pretty face.” Rhys smiled and blushed, eyes downcast and a giggle threatening to break out of him. Rhys crawled forward a bit, so that he could cuddle closer to him. Jack settled back so that he was laying on his back and Rhys straddled his hips. Jack stroked Rhys’ cheek adoringly, smiling when he leaned into the older mans’ touch. “Look at you, my pretty little killer.” He cooed, “You did so well last night.” He added, his voice low like a purr. The way he spoke had Rhys melting against him. “You made sure that she got what she deserved.”

Rhys pouted and stiffened, sitting up a bit. “Do you think that Angel would be happy with what we did to avenge her?” He asked, so quiet that he could barely hear himself speak. He was always nervous to question Jack like this.

Jack responded by grabbing the sirens hips and flipping the two of them over so that he was on top of Rhys. Rhys squeaked in response to the manhandling and let out a short whine as Jack kissed him slowly and sweetly. He pulled back and looked at Rhys, delighting in the vulnerable expression on the younger mans face. “I think…” He breathed, “I think that Angel is dead.” His voice wavered a bit as he spoke, he was still torn about her death. Even saying her name caused him great pain. “I don’t know what she would have wanted.”

It was the most honest thing that he had said in a long time. Maybe the most honest thing that he had ever said. Rhys nodded, in an understanding sort of way. Then he frowned, eyes filled with sorrow as he remembered Angel. “I miss her.” He mumbled, “It’s not fair that this happened to her, she didn’t deserve that.” He shook his head, a mixture of sadness and anger permeating his thoughts. “For her to have died like that, with so many people around her and still so alone… it’s not right.”

Jack sighed heavily, like he was holding a great weight on his shoulders and every breath that he took was labored because of it. “I know, Rhysie, I know.” He replied, his fingers running through the sirens hair. “I miss her too. I almost lost you in the same way.” He murmured, his fingers tightening their grip in his hair just a bit. “but you won’t ever try to do anything like that again.” Jack stated, like it was a command. Rhys took it as a command.

“No.” The siren quietly replied, “I, I’ll never do it again. I’m sorry.” He could never be sorry enough for that. For hurting himself like he had, for nearly killing himself. Jack rarely, if ever, brought it up. But it was clear, in Rhys’ mind at least, that he had been terribly hurt by that, even though Rhys’ intention hadn’t been to hurt him. Not at all.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Rhysie.” Jack’s tone was icy, “I don’t want to lose you too.” He said. “Not after everything that we’ve been through…” He added wistfully.

“I’m not.” Rhys mumbled back, obviously becoming distressed by the line of questioning. “I won’t ever do anything like that, I promise.” He said, very sincerely. Jack nodded in satisfaction at that and kissed him on the top of the head, as if to reward him for his sincerity.

He was sure that the siren was telling the truth. As long as Jack took care of Rhys, as long as he loved him, as long as he provided him safety and freedom from himself, Rhys would always be loyal to Jack. Rhys would never leave him, the thought would never even cross his mind. Jack would never let any traitorous thoughts cross Rhys’ mind. Even a single thought against him would be too much.

Jack had put too much time, money and energy into keeping Rhys loyal and complacent with being constantly at side for him to ever allow that to happen. Not with this one. Jack had lost every other person that he had come to care for in his life. They had all betrayed and abandoned him, been killed or died… But not little Rhysie, oh no. Rhys had stayed right there, right where he belonged. He had decided a long time ago that he wouldn’t be letting this one go, no matter what happened.

If he had to cut Rhys’ legs off to stop him from running, then he would in a heartbeat. If he had to blind him to stop him from seeing anything that would give him pause, then he would. If he had to deafen him so that he would never hear a cruel word from a bandit that might try to convince Rhys that he shouldn’t be with Jack then he would. He’d do anything not to have to suffer another loss, like he had with Nisha and his baby girl.

But, looking at Rhys – he wouldn’t have to do that. In some ways, Rhys was difficult. He was emotionally messy, self-destructive and far too dependent on him. But in many other ways, Rhys was the perfect person for him. He was his pretty little bird that had been ready and willing to have his wings clipped so he wouldn’t fly away into danger… and that was what made him so special.

He looked down at Rhys and realized that he had fallen back asleep. He smiled, genuinely at the sight of him. He looked so tiny, so fragile – like if Jack held him even a little bit tighter, he would shatter into a million tiny little pieces. Jack liked how powerful that thought made him feel.

Jack carefully disentangled got up out of the bed, careful not to wake the younger man. Rhys stirred a bit and mournfully whined in his sleep, but he did not fully wake. Jack watched with amusement as Rhys rolled out and spread his body out on the large bed like a starfish. Then he walked over to the large expansive window on the other side of the room. He looked down at Pandora with disdain. They still had a lot of work to do. There were so many bandits, vault hunters and other scum that needed to be purged from the galaxy, but – just like he had promised the siren that was in his bed – that could all wait until tomorrow.

After all, they had all the time in the world now to reform the galaxy in Jacks’ image.


End file.
